National Consultation on Cash Transfer of Subsidies to be Held
New Delhi (CBCI News): In the unorganised workers’ empowerment scenario, the Workers India Federation (WIF) - the coordination body of CBCI Labour Commission plans to hold a two-day national consultation of Diocesan Labour Directors, January 14-15. A symposium will also be held on cash transfer of the subsidies to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries . The symposium will be inaugurated by Shri.Kodikunnil Suresh, MOS for Labour &Employment and the panelists are from central trade unions
The government of India empowerment strategies of unorganized workers, such as the Social Security for Unorganised Sector Workers Act, 2008, and social security schemes like RSBY for health coverage and ‘Swavalamban’ for pension , and most recent up-to-date is the cash transfer of the subsidies to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, have been initiated, but it appears that the Government wants to get away with its responsibilities. Because the law of unorganised workers passed itself is incomplete, It seems the Government has not made any efforts to revise it. It is a reality that so far the unorganized labour has neither received any benefits due to abovementioned law, nor experienced the responsibilities of the Government in wanting to do it. In the case of government’s social security schemes are not labour friendly by way of pushing enrollment criteria for the schemes is as if having BPL/ UID/Domicile cards ,which are difficult to get for unorganised workers since they mostly are migrants and undocumented .More over that these so called ‘unorganised workers’ schemes are on track with inadequate institutionalisation and non involvement of labour organization .
Workers India Federation is a legal and coordination federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conference‘s labour related initiatives. CBCI Labour Commission has completed 40 year in 2012. In these years the organization has been trying to empower the workers in the country, especially those who are in informal sector based on awareness, research and welfare programs.The National domestic bill draft in 1978 , 2010 National policy draft for domestic workers for Government of India, Research work on unorganised workers and fish workers issues, campaign for unorganised workers act and welfare schemes, establishments of rehabilitation centers to combat child labour and workers ‘ facilitation centers are some of the main interventions of CBCI Labour department in the field of unorganised workers. Of late, its functioning has heaped on by establishing Workers India federation to facilities to enroll informal sector workers into ‘RSBY ‘ and “swavalamban” of Central Government along with education aid for workers children, death compensation under the scheme of Mazdoor Suraksha Yojana (MSY) and building gap between jobseekers and job providers through www.jobtech.in. Presently WIF has 10 lakh unorgnaised sector workers mainly agriculture ,domestic, construction, service sector and plantation, sea & fisherworkers, street vendors, and self-employed people in the 128 districts units under 13 Regional network across the country. All these members belongs to different movements, unions, forums and SHGs of the workers, which are affiliated to Workers India Federation. Therefore upcoming consultation would be an enhancement of event for CBCI in the labour initiatives. The venue of the two day program is NISCORT, Ghaziabad, NCR-Delhi and the consultation will be conducted under the leaders ship Commission Chairman, Most.Rev. Oswald Lewis.