By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Thursday included more than 5,000 elephant workers in a state-run welfare scheme, enabling them to draw benefits like pension after their retirement.
“We do not intend to float a separate welfare board for the elephant workers. They will be included in the Kerala Artisans Workers Welfare and Skilled Workers Board scheme,” Labour Minister Shibhu Baby John said.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Babu M. Palissery, who is also president of the Kerala State Elephant Workers’ Union, said the government took the right decision in fulfilling the caretakers’ long-standing “just” demand.
“Perhaps this is the only group of workers in the state who are not covered under any welfare scheme of the state government. They put in long hours of work and even risk their personal safety,” Palissery said.
The CPI-M legislator had earlier sought the labour minister’s intervention in ensuring that the elephant workers be enrolled in the government welfare scheme.
Kerala has close to 900 captive elephants. As many as five people look after an elephant when the richly-caparisoned animal is taken out during religious festivals.