BEEDI WORKERS TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR MAJOR SURGERIES
AND ALSO FOR TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS ETC.
MATERNITY BENEFIT ENHANCED FROM RS.500
TO RS.1000 FOR WOMEN BEEDI WORKERS
Union Labour Minister
Dr. Sahib Singh announced that now onwards the dependants of the
Beedi Workers would also be eligible for receiving the financial
assistance for major surgeries like kidney transplant, by-pass
heart surgery, cancer and also treatment of T.B.
The Labour Minister
was chairing the 19th meeting of the Beedi Workers
Welfare Fund today at New Delhi. He further said that the more
than two dozen existing schemes of financial assistance for education
purposes for the children of beedi workers have been simplified
and rationalized into seven focused schemes. Such assistance is
now available to the children of beedi workers from class one
to MBBS/B.Tech. stage. He also announced the inclusion of other
vocational courses including ITI for such financial assistance
within the ambit of these schemes. This would benefit the children
of about 40 lakh beedi workers. The maternity benefit has also
been enhanced from Rs.500/- to Rs.1000/- for the women beedi workers.
He stressed that the need of taking up housing scheme in a big
way for beedi workers for which financial assistance is being
provided to the tune of Rs.20,000/- for construction of individual
houses. He appealed to all State Governments to come forward to
provide other assistance like provision of sites, matching savings
etc. for making it a success.
The Labour Minister
was of the strong view that the medical and health care being
provided to the beedi workers through existing network of hospitals
and dispensaries of Labour Welfare Organisation required vast
improvement and services of professional organisations like Employees
State Insurance Corporation should be extended to them.
The Laboour Minister
stressed that all-out efforts be made to sensitize the beedi worker
about the several welfare schemes of housing, education, medical
care, etc. available to workers. He said that identity card is
a passport to avail the benefits by a beedi workers under various
schemes. He emphasised the need to use the identity cards on a
massive scale for their empowerment. He said that all concerned
such as State Governments, trade unions, employers should join
hands together in the efforts.
The meeting was attended
by the representatives of Trade Unions, representative of employers
and representatives of State Governments.
