Beedi workers under the banner of Telangana Progressive Beedi Workers’ Union staged a dharna in front of the Tahsildar office on Wednesday demanding the government to sanction pension of Rs. 1,000 a month to each of the beedi workers as promised by the TRS before the elections.
Addressing the gathering, Union president Vanamala Krishna said that over seven lakh beedi workers have pinned high hopes on the government given the difficult times they have been facing with the beedi industry being in doldrums for some time now.
Even if pension was sanctioned to all the beedi workers, it would not be a great burden on the State exchequer as it would be less than one per cent of the budget, he said.
The overall burden on the government would be about Rs. 840 crore, he said and appealed to the Chief Minister to keep his word by including their pensions in the Aasara scheme.
