Representational picture of unorganised sector
Credit: Reuters Photo
Bengaluru: The Labour Department has decided to monetarily compensate unorganised sector workers in the event of death and disability due to accidents and natural death under the Ambedkar Karmika Sahaya Hastha Scheme.
In an order dated August 22 by the Labour Department under secretary which DH has accessed, workers of 20 professions coming under the sector, including tailors, barbers, potters, cine workers, freelance columnists, photographers and so on, are eligible for the compensation.
The scheme will be allocated a maximum yearly sum of Rs 12.50 crore, to be derived from the Rs 53.74 crore remaining with the department under the grant released to the board by the previous BJP government during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide a one-time compensation to unorganised sector workers.
Since these workers do not have benefits like ESI and PF, the GO noted that the scheme intends to provide monetary assistance to the family members of such workers incase of health emergencies. The scheme will come into effect from the day the state government announces it through a notification in the official gazette.
While the families of the deceased in road accidents are provided an accident compensation of Rs 1 lakh, those suffering from permanent or temporary disabilities will be paid a compensation upto Rs 1 lakh depending on the magnitude of the disability.
That apart, there will be a reimbursement of upto Rs 50,000 for hospital expenses and a Rs 10,000 grant for funeral expenses in case of natural deaths.
The beneficiaries should be residents of Karnataka, aged between 18-60 years, actively involved in one of the 20 unorganised professions and not be beneficiaries of Employees State Insurance (ESI) and Indigent Patients Fund (IPF) schemes.