As part of efforts to increase enrolments on the Centre’s e-shram portal, the Labour Department is planning to organise special camps to ensure that the benefits of social security schemes reach those in the unorganised sector. Incidentally, they have been missing out such aids out of ignorance or inability to claim them through proper channels.
The first mega camp for enrolling more migrant labourers will be held at Feroke on December 20. Labour Minister V. Sivankutty will open the camp, where free medical check-up will be held. Essential medicines will also be supplied to participants. Minister for Public Works and Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas and senior Labour Department officers will be present.
The Labour Department targets to complete the enrolment of over 25,000 migrant workers in Kozhikode district alone. Though some of them have already completed the enrolment process from their own States, a majority are yet to cooperate with the process out of negligence or ignorance. Camps will also be organised to help out those who are unable to attend the mega camp.
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Similarly, arrangements are in place to organise special enrolment camps for lottery vendors and autorickshaw drivers. According to official figures, there are over 2,500 lottery vendors in Kozhikode district, and they are expected to cooperate with the process. The number of autorickshaw drivers within the Kozhikode city limits alone is over 5,000. Labour Department officials hope that exclusive camps for such segments could attract better participation other than general camps. Efforts are also being made to enhance the participation of transgenders in the drive.
“At a special camp on Wednesday, we managed to issue identity cards to nearly 40 persons from the LGBTQ community. During the enrolment drive, we also held a discussion with their representatives seeking their cooperation to encourage the enrolment of more such persons,” said Assistant Labour Officer L.N. Anooj. He added that efforts were on to organise a district-level camp.