LABOUR MINISTER ANNOUNCES
HOUSING SCHEME FOR WORKERS
The Labour Minister Dr. Sahib Singh today announced
the Housing Scheme for workers known as Pradhan Manti Shramik
Awas Yojana. Addressing a Press Conference alongwith the Minister
for Urban Development Shri Ananth Kumar and Minister of State
for Labour Shri Ashok Pradhan here today, Dr. Sahib Singh said
that the Scheme will be launched on the Prime Minister’s Birthday
on 25th December in Delhi. He said that the Urban Development
Ministry is identifying flats and plots in the capital which can
be allotted to the workers. The Labour Minister said that the
Housing Scheme shall be open to the members of the Employees Provident
Fund. Dr. Sahib Singh said that the negotiations are on the way
with the HUDCO which would act as an intermediary between Housing
Boards, Local Development Authorities and the EPFO. He said that
Chief Ministers have been approached for participation in the
scheme and most of them have shown great enthusiasm. The Labour
Minister said that the scheme would be implemented at 216 centres
across the country having concentration of workers.
Shri Anant Kumar said that a Committee of the
senior officials of the Labour and Urban Development Ministry
has been constituted to work out the modalities of the scheme.
He said that the Committee will submit its report by 15th
of November. The Urban Development Minister said that there are
about 3.30 crore families in the country without their own houses.
He said that majorities of them are workers. Shri Anant Kumar
said that the Delhi Development Authority will make available
ten thousand housing units for workers.
The Central Board of Trustees at its meeting
in October 2002 approved in principle launching of a Housing Scheme
for workers. The scheme will be implemented jointly by mutual
cooperation between the EPFO, HUDCO/Other financing agencies as
may be appropriate. While the funds would be made available through
the housing finance agencies, the EPFO will interact with the
employers and facilitate inter-face between the workers seeking
housing finance and the housing finance agencies. The EPFO will
also help in recovery of installments from the workers through
their employers.
