Reiterating that the Centre was committed to giving away the Rs. 27,000 crore lying unclaimed with the Employees Provident Fund Organisation, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said here on Sunday that the Centre would soon come out with a “good” housing scheme for workers in the unorganised sector.
Addressing the 19th triennial convention of the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) here on Sunday, he said that 93 per cent of the total workforce in the country was in the unorganised sector and the Narendra Modi government would extend social security benefits to them.
Referring to the Universal Account Number and Unorganised Workers’ Identification Number cards which the Centre was issuing to workers across the country, Mr. Dattatreya said that the workers would be able to get up-to-date information about their EPF benefits.
They could also seek details about social security schemes as all the data would be uploaded to the portal developed by the Labour Department.
The Union Minister said that the Centre would take steps to extend social security benefits to Accredited Social Health Activists.
He mentioned that the issue of wage revision for the workers was being looked into at the inter-ministerial meeting and a decision would be taken soon. Mr. Dattatreya said that he would take steps to develop a model Industrial Training Institute in Karnataka.
Referring to the demands put forward by BJP State unit president Pralhad Joshi, MP, the Minister said he would take steps to upgrade the ESIC Hospital at Hubballi into a 100-bed hospital and also look into the pending PF issue of employees of North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation.
Mr. Joshi, the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, national vice-president of BMS Mangalambarao, and BMS State president Ramakrishna Poonja were present.
A procession of BMS activists was taken out from Lamington School to Gokul Garden, the venue of the two-day convention.
