By IANS
New Delhi : Two draft bills to improve the working conditions of nearly 340 million workers in the unorganised sector, including prescribing minimum conditions of work and introduction of social security, were presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday.
Chairman of National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) Arjun Sengupta presented the bills.
These prescribe introduction of social security for the agriculture and non-agriculture sector and propose an eight-hour working day with a 30-minute break and one paid rest day.
The proposed legislation provides for a National Security Scheme with an outlay of Rs.194.31 billion for agricultural workers and Rs.129.54 billion for non-agricultural workers.
It proposes another scheme under the National Minimum Social Security Scheme, providing hospitalisation benefits for the worker and the family at Rs.15,000 per year and sickness allowance for 15 days beyond three days of hospitalisation at Rs.50 per day. It also recommends Rs.1,000 as maternity benefit.
It said the scheme should be implemented within five years and carried out by grass roots organisations at the state level and be overseen by the National Social Security Board with its corresponding state body.
The explanatory report on the welfare of the unorganised sector, the first of its kind, says that the bills seek statutory minimum wages with penal interest on delayed payment of wages and no deduction in the form of fines. It would also give workers the right to organise.
The legislation ensures that there is no discrimination on the basis of sex, caste and religion as also incidences of HIV/AIDS.
There should be adequate safety equipment at workplaces and compensation for accidents.
The legislation ensures life cover for all unorganised workers with Rs.30,000 for natural death, Rs.75,000 for accidental death or total permanent disability and Rs.37,500 for partial disability.
The bills also incorporate a scheme for giving pension of Rs.200 per month to all Below Poverty Line (BPL) workers above 60 years and Provident Fund for all other registered workers.
According to Sengupta, "since the unorganised sector employs as much as 86 percent of the total workforce in the Indian economy, this legislation would have a potential of improving their quality of life."