Bhubaneswar, Feb. 21: With an eye on the elections, the Naveen Patnaik government is targeting unorganised labourers.
Labour minister, Bijoyshree Routray today assured construction workers that the government was contemplating to introduce a pension scheme for them.
The assurance comes in the wake of a string of sops announced for workers in the last few months. The state has around 2.66 lakh registered construction workers with many more yet to be counted. The kendu leaves pluckers, who number around 9 lakh, constitute the biggest chunk of unorganised workers. The government has also been wooing them aggressively.
The construction workers from across the state were also addressed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik who urged them to become more organised in their own interest. Naveen said his government had already extended benefits to the tune of Rs 3.78 crore to these workers but he would continue to strive to give them as much as possible. “My government’s efforts for the welfare of construction workers will continue,” he said in a speech which had elections written on it.
“We have been a pioneer in providing Rs 1 lakh house building assistance, health insurance and protective kits to labourers. Now we are thinking of providing pension to the older among you from the state welfare fund,” said Routray adding that the number of construction workers was likely to go up to 10 lakh in the state.
However, trade union leader Naba Kishore Mohanty said state government had no contribution in providing assistance to the construction workers. “ Odisha Construction Worker Welfare Fund has been constituted with one percent cess collected from construction firms and contractors. The strength of the fund was more than Rs 500 crore now but the state government has failed to utilise it. Now with an eye on the elections, the government is frittering away this fund,” said Mohanty.
The state government also published full-page advertisements in local dailies highlighting the assistance being given to the eligible construction workers. The move drew flak from the opposition. Senior Congress leader and former minister Narasingha Mishra said, “ Public money should not be wasted in advertisements and publicity with an eye on elections”.
Odisha Construction Worker Welfare Fund chairman Jogendra Tripathy said benefits amounting to over Rs 15 lakh were distributed to more than 400 beneficiaries at the state-level function today.
A construction worker, registered under the Odisha Construction Worker Welfare Fund, is entitled to get home loan assistance of Rs 1 lakh with two percent interest, health insurance of Rs 1 lakh, accident benefit of Rs 1.5 lakh for total disability and Rs 80,0000 for partial disability, assistance of Rs 2 lakh for death in accidents and Rs 1 lakh for natural death. An assistance of Rs 5000 will be given for performing last rites of a construction worker.
Besides, an assistance of Rs 20,000 will be available for the marriage of daughters of construction workers or unmarried female workers. The son of construction worker studying in Class XI and XII will get a stipend of Rs 3,000 per year and daughter Rs 4000 per year. The rate of stipend for degree and post-graduate studies will be Rs 4,000 (for son) and Rs 5,000 (for daughter).
A one-time assistance upto Rs 4,000 will be given to a construction worker for buying bicycle and upto Rs 1,000 for purchase of shoes, helmet and gloves. A highly skilled or skilled worker will get up to Rs 2000 for purchase of equipments.
However, Radha Nayak, 47, a construction worker from Kumareswar near Satsankh in Puri district, who came to attend today’s function courtesy an NGO, said she was not aware of the benefits.
Last month, the state government had decided to distribute Rs 100 crore dividend accrued from the forest development tax on kendu leaf trade among nine lakh kendu leaves pluckers.
Earlier in July, 2012, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced free lanterns, mosquito nets and blankets for kendu leaf binders. Nearly 18,000 families were supposed to benefit from this programme.
