The Government has registered as many as 13.10 lakh labourers from the unorganised sector and at least 2,62,625 of them are getting benefits under various welfare schemes of the Government for labourers, State Labour, Employment and Training Minister, Raj Paliwar said on Tuesday.
Addressing media persons at Suchna Bhawan in Ranchi, Paliwar said that the count of registered labourers in the unorganised sector was zero till 2015, and all the 13.10 lakh registrations were done by the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in Jharkhand.
“The minimum daily wage for labourers in unorganised sector is Rs 249.83 in Jharkhand. The Government is committed to providing all basic facilities to labourers and support the progress of their families,” said Paliwar.
Construction workers in the State have also benefitted immensely under the ruling Government, he said. The number of registered construction workers has increased from 3.36 lakh in 2015 to 5.66 lakh in 2019, said Paliwar, adding that the number of beneficiaries under the ‘Sramik Auzar Sahayata Yojana’ of the State has also quadrupled since 2015.
“Only 39,171 labourers were getting benefits under the Sramik Auzar Sahayata Yojana in 2015. The number of beneficiaries has now increased to 1,62,287,” he said.
The Government, Paliwar said, has also tightened the noose around organisations and individuals involved in child labour. According to the figures produced by his department on Tuesday, only 85 child labourers were rescued before 2015 under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and First Information Reports (FIR) were lodged against as many as 82 offenders. In 2019, the number of rescued child labourers has gone up to 550, while FIRs have been lodged against at least 442 offenders.
At least two lakh people got jobs through the employment fairs and recruitment camps organized by the Government, said Paliwar, adding that the Department is also planning to open an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in all the blocks of Jharkhand.
Besides helping labourers lead a better life, the Government here also took initiatives to ensure better facilities for their children, Paliwar said. The number of beneficiaries under a scholarship scheme for meritorious children of labourers has increased from 4,706 in 2015 to 64,952 in 2019, he added. Right from students of class 6 to the ones pursuing post graduation are eligible for scholarships of up to Rs 5000 per year under the scheme. However, only two children of a registered labourer can avail the benefits of the scheme, sources said.
Under ‘Cycle Sahayata Yojana’, the number of beneficiaries has increased from 45,817 to 74,147, he added. Under the welfare scheme, the Government provides monetary assistance to labourers under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for purchasing bicycles.
Under the ‘Nirman Sramik Safety Kit Yojana’, the Government provided safety kits to 2,08,630 construction workers in Jharkhand. This scheme was launched after 2015.