A majority of beedi workers in Karimnagar and Medak where beedi rolling is a popular domestic industry will not get the pension of Rs. 1,000 that was promised by the Telangana government from March 1 as they did not meet the norms.
Though the government announced that about 1.70 lakh workers in Telangana districts were eligible for pension on the basis of Intensive Household Survey conducted some months ago, their number could swell substantially as a large number of them did not have provident fund (PF) accounts and identity cards issued by beedi companies.
In rural areas, a majority of women workers under MGNREGS were also denied of the benefit. Take the case of G. Kalpana of Sircilla in Karimnagar. She is a widow and made a living rolling beedies for the last two decades. However, she was ineligible as she took Aasara pension for widows, old aged and physically handicapped. She said the latest pension would have compensated the loss in wages suffered through beedi rolling. J. Anuradha of Karimangar town said a majority of beedi workers will not get pension as they did not have PF accounts with beedi companies refusing to contribute. Her view was corroborated by Pantham Ravi Kumar, a leader of Centre of Indian Trade Unions at Sircialla, as he said that there were over two lakh beedi workers in the district, but only 50,000 to 60,000 will get the benefit going by the norms.
The beedi workers who have PF numbers and below 55 years of age were happy as many of them will get pensions, but those who have no such numbers were a disappointed lot in Nizamabad. Telangana Beedi and Cigar Workers’ Union leader Noorjahan criticised the government’s decision to sanction pension only to those who were not getting any kind of pension saying that the TRS was not committed to its promise to help the needy.
She said that non-PF holders could be in the order of 70,000 and they must also be given the pensions. The same is the situation in various parts of Medak where about 60,000 workers will be denied pension. Beedi rolling is the main activity for many at Siddipet, Dubbak, Ramayampet, and Gajwel areas in the district and it was estimated that more than one lakh families were making a living on that, according to Manda Pawan, leader of All India Trade Union Congress.
– Reporting by K.M. Dayashankar, R. Avadhani, P. Ram Mohan
Government’s decision to sanction pension to only those who are not getting any kind of pension now shows that it is not committed to its promise
– Noorjahan
Telangana Beedi and Cigar Workers’ Union
