Two important developments prompted this social security analyst to write these few lines to reach the planners, thinkers and social activists both in private and public sector.
One Prime Minister reaching out to top industrial leaders along with his senior Cabinet Ministers, including RBI Governor etc, to review and revive the economy for speedy growth in the backdrop of Chinese economy’s downslide and the second a disturbing telecast in a TV channel during last two days on the plight of migrant workers from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha staying in pitiable conditions in Delhi- Haryana boarder.
While similarity in both these incidents rests the fact that the incidents have occurred in and around the capital of our country, the differences involving both these two events are huge.
While no doubt industrial growth and consequential economic developments are essential for a country like ours but can this be achieved without social security or social insuranceIJ
The plight of workers along with their families as shown in Television referred above are nothing new-staying in large numbers in a tiny room without electricity, water facilities and sanitation etc. They are at workplaces for long hours of duties without minimum wage, safety and social security. In fact one is reminded of serious labour unrest of 2012 in blue chip Maruti Car factory in Maneshar, Haryana resulting in unfortunate killing of a senior officer of the factory. The most important reason for such unrest brewing for so many years is huge gap in pay and perks between regular and contract workers in the same work floor- result of increasing casualisation of workers in factories and in offices during last few years. Take the miserable conditions of migrant workers from Bihar, Odisha and UP. God’s own country Kerala while is having maximum foreign exchange income with each family having a representative in the Gulf countries, it is poor migrant workers from other States who have taken up all domestic or construction related works. Having denied access to sufficient accommodation with other facilities, these workers’ plight is imaginable. Healthcare and social security, besides the socio cultural and linguistic isolation add to their woes.
If we go through the history of developed countries or even ancient civilisations, it is needless to emphasise that a healthy contended workforce has produced economically the best, besides peace in the society and overall progress for the future. It is in this background, we are repeatedly hearing in all such review meetings, conferences and workshops at public or private forum one consistent constraint: Difficulty due to rigid labour laws and hence a call for labour reforms. Yes, while there is a need to relook and relax laws for doing easy business but hard facts are: Only 120 million of India’s population of 1250 million are insured and 93 per cent of labour force who belongs to unorganised informal sector, does not have any social security in the form of healthcare to meet the contingencies of accidents, old age or death. Hence, while talking of labour reforms, time has come to take this talk to next level. India is firmly committed to IlO’s ‘Minimum Social Protection Floor’ to meet the contingencies of ill health, accident, death and old age.
It is also a fact that social security laws of both Government of India and State Governments have failed to go beyond organised formal workers and with pathetic services to their existing beneficiaries. Here is an opportunity to achieve this in our country through recently launched “ Jan Dhan to Jan Suraksha schemes of the Government of India. Three essential features are worth mentioning here: (1) low Premium — Rs 12 for PMSBY (Suraksha BimaYojana for Accident Benefit upto Rs 2 lakh ), Rs 330 for PMJJBY ( life insurance in case of death up to Rs 2 lakh) and Rs 42 to Rs 210 for APY (pension scheme up to Rs 5,000 ),
(2) Through Bank Transfer only- No cash transaction to deny risk of pilferage etc, (3) Government Guarantee with continuous monitoring at various levels.
For low paid workers and insufficient family support for senior citizens, it is the view of the writer who has been closely working with social security schemes of the Government of India that let all of us who can afford it come forward to ensure coverage of all such unorganised informal casual workers and senior citizens in these social security schemes. let us start covering our domestic helps like domestic workers, newspaper vendors and Sabjiwala from whom on daily basis our families are getting services, besides spreading this message to reach others so that sanitary workers and daily wage earners engaged by various shops and municipalities come forward to insure their workers with the help of banks and insurance agencies.
This is a national mission. let all corporate houses, trade unions, associations and as members of civil society, take on this challenge for universal coverage of all unorganised informal casual workers, self employed and senior citizens through Jan Suraksha social security scheme. The recent announcement in 2016 Budget about healthcare insurance scheme to cover one third of India’s population (those living below-poverty line) should be a game changer along with Jan Suraksha scheme.
(The writer is a former Insurance Commissioner, ESIC and now with Insurance Regulatory Authority of India. Views expressed are personal. bk_sahu04@yahoo.com)