ONE
CRORE WORKERS TO BE EDUCATED IN ONE YEAR FROM OCTOBER SECOND
The Central Board of Workers Education (CBWE)
will educate one crore workers during twelve months under a new
initiative being launched on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2nd.
This was stated by the Labour Minister Dr. Sahib Singh while addressing
the Parliamentary Consultative Meeting of his Ministry here today.
He said that the Board has taken some new initiatives for creating
awareness among the workers. In this regard the CBWE conducted
241 camps for creating awareness about Krishi Shramik Suraksha
Yojana launched by the Labour Ministry in July 2001. More than
seven thousand agricultural workers participated in these camps,
out of whom 5674 workers have taken the insurance. The Minister
said that the Board is also imparting basic knowledge about HIV/AIDS
to workers through various training programmes devised in collaboration
with International Labour Organisation. He said the CBWE has decided
to start a new training programme for retrenched employees and
those who have opted for VRS. Commending the work done by the
CBWE, Dr. Sahib Singh said that the Board will have to step up
its activities manifold in order to reach the large number of
workers in the unorganised sector.
Participating in the meeting, the Members suggested
that the financial allocation for educational activities of the
Board should be increased. They said that the number of teachers
should be increased, modern methods of teaching employed and popular
science should be made part of the curriculum. They also said
that greater attention should be paid to the education of women
workers. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting included
S/Shri Ramchandra Khuntia, Prabodh Panda, Jibon Roy, K. Malaisamy,
Abdul Hamid, P. Rajendran, Ms. Santosh Chowdhary and Minister
of State for Communications Dr. Sanjay Paswan.
The Chairman of CBWE Shri K.J. Thakar said that
the Rural Workers Education Programme has become a country wide
programme to promote among other things critical awareness of
problems among rural workers about their social economic environment
and also about their privileges and obligations as workers as
well as members of the village community.
The CBWE is an autonomous body under the Ministry
of Labour engaged in educating the workers. Set up in 1958, the
Board initially focused on industrial workers and subsequently
from 1977-78, it extended its activities to workers in the unorganised/rural
sectors. The Board has trained over 9.1 million workers since
its inception till March 2002. During the last financial year,
7266 programmes were conducted in which more than 2.31 lakh participants
were covered. 95 trade unions were provided financial assistance
of Rs.5.55 lakh to organise 198 programmes for training about
8000 workers.
