SOCIAL SECURITY PROVISIONS TO THE COUNTRY’S
WORKFORCE
Approximately 8 per
cent of the country’s total workforce of around forty crores are
covered by Social Security provisions like Old-age Pension, Family
Pension, lump sum benefit at the time of death, medical benefits,
disability benefits. These workers are mostly in the organised
sector.
Further, a large
number of workers in the unorganised sector are eligible to get
Social Security benefits like those available under Workmen’s
Compensation Act, Maternity Benefit Act and Payment of Gratuity
Act. A Social Security Group Insurance Scheme for identified groups
is being operated through Life Insurance corporation. Some State
Governments have also introduced schemes which provide some social
security covers for the workers in the unorganised sector.
The number of
workers in the unorganised sector being huge and widely dispersed,
the extension of a comprehensive social security cover to such
workers is a gigantic task and would be a time consuming effort
requiring massive resources. The main objective for both employees
Provident fund Organisation and ESI Corporation is to increase
the coverage of identifiable groups.
The Government
is in the process of gradually extending the scheme to cover new
centres and simultaneously taking steps for creating of requisite
infrastructure for providing medical care to a larger number of
insured persons and their families. There have been a number of
new developments in the ESIS during the past five years. Each
year, it is extended to new areas to cover additional employees.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for Labour and Parliamentary
affairs Shri Santosh Gangwar in the Lok Sabha today.
