The Beedi Workers Welfare Committee on Tuesday visited the Sircilla textile town, which has highest number of beedi workers in the district, to collect first hand information from the beedi workers about their problems and issuance of Rs.1,000 per month as honorarium to each worker.
The committee headed by Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Poonam Malakondaiah, members Sunil Sharma, Swati Lakra, Sowmya Mishra, Labour Commissioner Ashok, Collector Neetu Kumari Prasad, Assistant Collector Advait Singh and others toured the Sircilla textile and also adjoining Thangallapalli village to study the problems being faced by the beedi workers. They also visited a beedi company.
At the separate meetings, the beedi workers poured out their woes to the committee members about the non-availability of minimum wages as promised by the government and harassment by the beedi companies in the name of deductions by supplying poor quality tendu leaves, non-availability of pension scheme and PF facilities, etc.
Stating that the ESI Hospital constructed on the outskirts of Sircilla near Vemulawada was of new use as it was located very far from the textile town, they urged the government to construct the hospital in the textile town itself.
The womenfolk also complained that they were exposed to several health problems and urged the government to sanction houses and scholarships to their children and provide education. The beedi workers had also urged the government to distribute the announced Rs 1,000 per month honorarium without any conditions.
The committee members said that they had come to the Sircilla textile town on the instructions of Minister for IT K Taraka Rama Rao to study the living conditions of beedi workers.
They said that they would submit a report to the government for taking necessary action for the welfare of beedi workers.
Expressing concern over the child marriages among the beedi workers, they said that they would soon launch a campaign against the children marriages with the help of women and child welfare department.
