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New Delhi: After launching the first national database of unorganized workers, the labor ministry is now looking at linking welfare schemes to the e-shram portal to ensure that workers can claim benefits with the click of a mouse.
A senior labor ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the ministry would link the first scheme to this portal, that is the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, which would be completed in the next fortnight.
The scheme provides accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the insured.
“In the event of accidental death of an unorganized sector employee, his/her family can log on to the online portal and claim insurance after uploading their proof of identity. They don’t have to run around. The idea is to make the entire process for claiming benefits smooth and hassle-free,” he said.
Earlier, as an incentive to register on the e-shram portal, the labor ministry had decided to waive the annual premium of Rs 12 on accident insurance cover scheme.
By the end of the year, the government also plans to link two other schemes – PM Shram Yogi Maandhan and PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana – to the portal.
Under PM Shram Yogi Maandhan, unorganized sector employees whose monthly income is up to Rs 15,000 are entitled to an assured pension of Rs 3,000 after they retire.
PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana promises a risk coverage of Rs 2 lakh in case of death of the insured employee due to any reason. The premium under the scheme is Rs 330 per annum, which is automatically debited from the customer’s bank account in one installment.
Once these schemes are linked, the registered employees will be able to log into the portal and apply for online transfer of funds, eliminating the need to walk from pillar to post.
“By putting these three schemes together the workers will get some amount of social security. We will link other welfare schemes to the portal later,” said a second official of the ministry.
Read also: 3 crore on database of unorganized workers, 48% women, 55% do not have Aadhaar linked accounts
‘Talks to see if workers can be covered under Ayushman Bharat’
Another official in the ministry said the labor ministry is also in talks with the National Health Mission to assess whether workers in the unorganized sector can be brought under the purview of Ayushman Bharat – the flagship health insurance scheme of the Narendra Modi government. It caters to the poor and vulnerable families. The official said that the scheme currently does not cover all workers in the unorganized sector.
E-shram, the much-awaited online national database of unorganized workers, which was announced by the Modi government last year after the migrant workers crisis, was launched With the aim of registering 38 crore unorganized sector workers of India on 26 August by Labor Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
The database will contain details of workers such as their current status, type of skill, family details, address, current location in case of migrant workers and their movement from formal to informal sector.
It will also contain information about various social sector and welfare schemes being run by the central and state governments for these workers.
Till October 15, about 3.91 crore workers in the unorganized sector had registered on the portal.
(Edited by Rachel John)
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