As per the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008, the Government is mandated to provide Social Security to the workers of unorganised sector including daily wage workers by formulating suitable welfare schemes 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.

The Life and Disability cover is provided through Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) provides an annual health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per eligible family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization corresponding to 1949 treatment procedures across 27 specialties. It is a completely cashless and paperless scheme. The beneficiary families under ABPMJAY have been identified from Social Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 basis 6 deprivation and 11 occupational criteria across rural and urban areas.

The old age protection is provided through the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) pension scheme in the form of monthly pension of Rs. 3,000/- after attaining the age of 60 years.

Apart from these schemes, Atal Pension Yojana, Public Distribution System under National Food Security Act, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, National Social Assistance Programme, Gareeb Kalyan Rojgar Yojana, Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Yojana, PMSVANidhi, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, are also available to the unorganised workers including daily wage workers depending upon their eligibility criteria.

Provision of minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 provides for cost of living allowance as a component of minimum wages. Accordingly, the Central Government revises the cost of living allowance called as Variable Dearness Allowance (V.D.A) on basic rates of minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, every six months effective from 1st April and 1st October every year on the basis of Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers to protect the minimum wages against inflation.

Recently the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, have been rationalized and subsumed under the Code on Wages, 2019 and the components of minimum wages stipulated therein also provide for cost of living allowance. Further, the Code makes minimum wages universally applicable across employments and thus moves ahead from restrictive applicability of minimum wages limited to scheduled employments as provided for under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shri. Rameshwar Teli in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

***

MJPS/NSK

(Release ID: 1946429) Visitor Counter : 1467