Towards spreading digital financial literacy among the public, the Central government and the Telangana State Information Technology Department are organising ‘Digi Dhan Mela’ at People’s Plaza on January 18 and 19.
This is part of the Centre’s move to conduct the melas in all major cities of the country for popularising digital transactions, Minister for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya informed at a press conference here on Friday.
The mela will have 80 stalls in all, accommodating e-Wallet and m-Wallet services, agricultural seed suppliers, UID, Public Distribution System, Girijan Cooperative Corporation, Handlooms and others. “Apart from spreading literacy, we intend that some transactions should happen on that day. Banks part of the State Level Banking Committee and EPFO and ESIC officials will be present at the mela,” Mr. Dattatreya announced. Five winners of the Centre’s ‘Lucky Grahak Yojna’ will be given away their prizes on the occasion. The melas will be repeated later in Nizamabad and Warangal too.
Speaking about the amnesty scheme offered to employers under ESIC and EPFO, the Minister said that those already under litigation will not come under the scheme. In case of ESI benefits, the scheme will be applicable only to employers who have uncovered employees under them between January 2009 and December 2016. They can now open accounts without being questioned about non-compliance thus far.
In case of EPF, token penalty of ₹1 will be charged for non-registration or low-registration of employees, while administrative charges will be waived.
Those who have already been served notices will not be included for the scheme. Mr. Dattatreya informed that he had written to Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy for five drivers’ training centres for Telangana State out of the 100 being planned across the country. Two additional schools have also been requested exclusively for TSRTC, he said, and urged the Telangana State government to allot five to six acres for the same in Hyderabad and Warangal.
