Lok Sabha Question No. 1162 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-19
Subject: Package for Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Anurag Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1162

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.09.2020

## PACKAGE FOR WORKERS

1162. SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  offer  a  specific  social security package for such workers who are dependent at the mercy of  their  private  employers  and  mostly  have  been  rendered  jobless owing to Corona Virus impact; and
- (b)if  so,  the  modalities  of  such  a  package  and  blueprint  for  roll  out thereof as the number of beneficiaries is likely to be a very sizeable part of our population?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b): Employees'  State  Insurance  Corporation  (ESIC)  provides relief  in  the  form  of  cash  compensation  for  up  to  90  days  to  the Insured Persons (IPs) who become unemployed, under the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana provided that they have completed two years of insurable  employment  and  has  contributed  not  less  than  78  days  in each of the four consecutive contribution periods.

In order to provide relief to the IPs who have been rendered unemployed  during  COVID-19  Pandemic,  the  ESIC  has  enhanced  the quantum of benefit and relaxed the eligibility condition of the scheme for the period 24.03.2020 to 31.12.2020 as under:

Contd..2/-

1. Relief  to  the  extent  of  50  %  of  the  average  per  day earning  to  be paid  up  to  maximum  90  days  of  unemployment  instead  of  25%  of average per day earning earlier.
2. The  IP  should  have  been  in  insurable  employment  for  a  minimum period of two years immediately before his/her unemployment and should have contributed for not less than 78 days in the contribution  period  immediately  preceding  the  unemployment  and minimum 78 days in one of the remaining three contribution periods in two years prior to unemployment. Earlier for getting relief under the  scheme  the  IP  should  have  contributed  minimum  78  days contribution in 4 contribution periods prior to unemployment.
3. Claim shall be due 30 days after date of unemployment as against 90 days earlier.

The claim for relief may be created online on www.esic.in and submitted by the IP in the prescribed claim form duly completed, directly  to  the  Branch  office.    The  relaxations  have  been  notified  on 11.09.2020.

Further,  in  order  to  mitigate  the  impact  of  the  COVID-19 pandemic on India's workforce, various initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Labour and Employment as part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan  Yojana  (PMGKY)  and  Atmanirbhar  Bharat  which,  inter-alia, include -

- payment of 12% employers' share and 12% employees' share under Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), totalling 24%  by the Government  of  India  for  six  wage  months  from  March  to August,  2020  for  all  the  establishments   having  up  to  100 employees  with  90%  of  such  employees  earning  less  than
- (i) Rs.15,000 monthly wage;
- (ii) reduction in Provident Fund (PF) contribution from 12% to 10% of wages for the wage months of May, June and July, 2020;

contd..3/-

- (iii) non-refundable COVID advance from the PF by amending the EPF Scheme, 1952; till date, about Rs 39,000 crore have been withdrawn by members of EPFO.
- (iv) extension in the date of filing of returns;
- (v) issuing advisory to promptly attend to distress calls of workers /employees and also guide them in temporary shelters;
- (vi) using  Building  and  Other  Construction  Workers  (BOCW)  cess fund  for    transfer  of    funds  amounting  to  approximately Rs.5000  crore  in  the  bank  account  of  around  1.83  crore construction workers affected by COVID-19 outbreak; and
- (vii) Advising  employers  not  to  terminate  workers  and  not  to  cut their wages.

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