Welfare of Workers of Unorganised Sector

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Labour & Employment

21-November-2016 16:56 IST 

Welfare of Workers of Unorganised Sector

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is a centrally sponsored scheme to provide health insurance coverage to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and including other 11 categories of Unorganized Workers (MGNREGA Workers, Construction Workers, Domestic workers, Sanitation Workers, Mine Workers, licensed Railway Porters, Street Vendors, Beedi Workers, Rickshaw Pullers, Rag Pickers and Auto/Taxi drivers). Each family enrolled in the scheme is entitled to hospitalization benefits of upto INR 30,000 per annum including maternity benefits on a family floater basis ( a unit of five) in Government empanelled hospitals (includes both private and public). Pre-existing conditions are covered from day one and there is no age limit. Transportation Cost upto Rs. 100/- per hospitalization subject to a maximum of Rs. 1000/- per family per year is also provisioned under the scheme.

It has been the constant endeavour of the Government to bring more and more unorganised workers under the Employee State Insurance Scheme. Recently, ESIC has formulated Health Schemes to cover Auto Rickshaw Drivers in Delhi and Domestic workers in Delhi and Hyderabad on pilot basis.

In order to provide social security benefits to the workers in the unorganised sector, the Government has enacted the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008. The 2008 Act stipulates formulation of suitable welfare schemes for unorganised workers on matters relating to: (i) life and disability cover, (ii) health and maternity benefits, (iii) old age protection and (iv) any other benefit as may be determined by the Central Government through the National Social Security Board. Various Schemes, formulated by the Government to provide social security cover to the unorganized workers, listed in the Schedule I of the above Act are as under:

i. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. (Ministry of Rural Development)

ii. National Family Benefit Scheme. (Ministry of Rural Development)

iii. Janani Suraksha Yojana. (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

iv. Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme. (Ministry of Textiles)

v. Handicraft Artisans’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme. (Ministry of Textiles)

vi. Pension to Master Craft Persons. (Ministry of Textiles)

vii. National Scheme for Welfare of Fishermen and Training and Extension. (Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries)

viii. Aam Admi Bima Yojana. (Department of Financial Services)

ix. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

Central Government has also launched the Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana for all citizens especially targeting unorganised workers to provide them comprehensive social security.

This information was given by Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.