Lok Sabha Question No. 155 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-19
Subject: Database for Unorganised Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Suresh Kodikunnil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 155 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2021

## DATABASE FOR UNORGANISED WORKERS

## 155.   SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

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

- (a)the details of programmes by the Government aimed at alleviating poverty and unemployment among migrant labourers in the country after the second wave of covid pandemic;
- (b)whether  the  Ministry  intends  to  establish  a  National  Database  for Unorganised Workers including the migrant labourers in the country;
- (c)if so, the details thereof;
- (d)whether there is a delay of lack of coordinated efforts in order to create a module between the Centre and respective States;
- (e)the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (f)the  details  of  action  sought  to  address  the  anomalies  to  ensure timely  establishment  of  the  National  Database  for  Unorganised Workers  in  view  of  facilitating  streamlined  deliveries  of  welfare programmes?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

(a): Government  of  India  has  taken  several  measures  and initiatives  to  address  the  challenges  and  threats  to  migrant  workers posed by Covid-19. The details are at Annexure-I.

(b) to (f): Ministry of Labour & Employment in technical collaboration with  National  Informatics  Centre  (NIC)  is  developing  a  module/portal for comprehensive National Database for Unorganized Workers (NDUW)  seeded  with  Aadhaar  for  all  Unorganised  workers  including Construction  Workers,  Migrant  Workers,  Gig  and  Platform  workers, Street Vendors,  Domestic Workers, Agriculture Workers, Migrant workers and similar other workers, to address various challenges and issues  related  to  the  delivery  of  benefits  of  welfare  schemes.  At present,  the  process  for  dry  run  and  security  audit  is  underway. Rs.  45.39  Crore  has  already  been  released  to  NICSI  for  required software development and hardware purchases in February, 2021.

The project is expected to commence the registration work by August, 2021 after addressing all critical technical issues. Thereafter,  the  State  Governments  are  to  populate  the  data  on  the portal  through  mobilising  the  unorganised  workers.    The  Common Service Centres through its nation-wide network of over 4 lakh centres and  selected  post  offices  of  the  Department  of  Posts  will  act  as registration centres, where workers can visit and register themselves free of cost .

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ANNEXURE REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  155  FOR  19.07.2021  REGARDING  DATABASE  FOR  UNORGANISED WORKERS.

Government  of  India  has  taken  several  measures  and  initiatives  to  address  the challenges and threats to migrant workers posed by Covid-19. Some of these are briefly mentioned as follows:

- (i)  The  Central  Government  has  issued  comprehensive  Advisory  Guidelines  on 27.07.2020 to all the States/UTs for the welfare of the migrant workers returning to the destination States in the backdrop of Covid-19. The States/UTs have been advised to implement the advisory guidelines by quickly gearing up their Labour Law enforcement machinery and ensuring statutory compliance by all the stakeholders which could provide migrant workers much needed help to mitigate the financial  crisis  and  empower  them  to  deal  with  the  pandemic.  The  States/UTs have  also  been  advised  to  maintain  updated  data  of  the  migrant  workers  to facilitate  the  administration  to  extend  benefits  of  the  welfare  schemes  of  the Government to the migrant workers.
- (ii)   In the backdrop of a challenging situation due to the outbreak of Covid-19 which led  to  financial  constraints  among  the  Building  &  Other  Construction  Workers (BOCW), the States/UTs were issued Advisory to frame a scheme under Section 22(1)(h) of the Building & Other Construction Workers (BOCW)  (RE&CS) Act, 1996  for  transfer  of  adequate  funds  in  the  Bank  accounts  of  construction workers, through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Mode. In response, during the 1 st wave  of  Covid-19,  the  State/UT  BOCW  Welfare  Boards  have  cumulatively disbursed  more  than  Rs.  5618  Crores,  through  DBT,  to  the  bank  accounts  of 1.83  Crores    BOCW  Workers  during  lockdown  and  thereafter.  Food  relief packages have also been provided by the States/UTs to around 30 lakh workers from the cess fund. Further, during the 2 nd Wave of Covid-19, Rs. 1795 Crores have been disbursed through DBT, to the bank accounts of 1.23 Crores BOCW Workers.
- (iii)   Advisories were issued to all State/UT Governments to advise all the Employers of  Public/Private  establishments  to  extend  their  cooperation  by  not  terminating their  employees,  particularly  casual  or  contractual  workers  from  job  or  reduce their wages.
- (iv)  The  Government is providing fiscal stimulus of more than rupees twenty seven lakh crore as part of the Aatmanirbhar financial Package. Aatmanirbhar Bharat package  comprises  of  various  long  term  schemes/  programmes/  policies  for making  the  country  self-reliant  and  to  create  employment  opportunities  for organised and unorganised sectors.
- (v) Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  under  Pradhan  Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Yojana (PMGKY),  has  contributed  both  12%  employer's  share  and  12%  employee's share under Employees Provident Fund (EPF), totaling 24% of the wage for the wage month from March to August, 2020 for the establishments having upto 100 employees with 90% of such employees earning less than Rs. 15000/-. Under the PMGKY scheme Rs 2567.20 crore was credited in EPF accounts of 38.85 lakhs eligible employees through 2,63,272 establishments.
- (vi)   Aatmanirbhar  Bharat  Rozgar  Yojna  (ABRY)  Scheme  has  been  launched  with effect  from  1 st October,  2020  to  incentivize  employers  for  creation  of  new employment  along  with  social  security  benefits  and  restoration  of  loss  of employment  during  COVID-19  pandemic.  This  scheme  being  implemented through  the  Employees'  Provident  Fund  Organisation  (EPFO)  reduces  the financial burden of the employers of various sectors/industries including MSME and encourages them to hire  more  workers.  Under  ABRY,  the  Government  of India  is  bearing  for  a  period  of  two  years,  both  the  employees'  share  (12%  of wages) and employers' share (12% of wages) of contribution payable or only the employees' share,  depending  on  employment  strength  of  the  EPFO  registered establishments.  As  on  14 th July,  2021  total  benefit  has  been  given  to  86,610 Establishments covering 23,58,653 beneficiaries under ABRY.
- (vii) Statutory PF contribution of both employer and employee was reduced to 10% each from existing 12% each for all establishments covered by EPFO for three months.
- (viii) Government of India, under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan (PMGKRA), has taken various  initiatives  to  boost  rural  infrastructure  and  rural economy  to  provide  local  employment  opportunities  particularly  to  the  migrant returnees.  It  covered  116  districts  of  6  States  with  a  resource  envelope  of  Rs 50,000  crore  and  was  implemented  in  a  mission  mode  campaign  of  125  days through Ministry of Rural Development.
- (ix)  The  unemployment  benefit  under  the  Atal  Beemit  Vyakti  Kalyan  Yojana  being implemented by the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has been enhanced  to  50%  from  25%  of  the  average  earning,  payable  upto  90  days, alongwith  relaxation  of  eligibility  conditions  to  claim  the  benefit,  for  insured workers who have lost employment due to COVID-19.
- (x) Underlining the need for coordinated efforts of the Central and State Governments, as labour being a concurrent subject, it was requested that officers  in  the  Labour  Departments  may  be  sensitised  about  the  20  Control Rooms set up by the Ministry of Labour and Employment under the Chief  Labour Commissioner (Central) on pan India basis to resolve the grievances of workers, mainly  wage  related  and  migrant  labour  issues,  arisen  due  to  nationwide lockdown imposed to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization of Chief Labour Commissioner(C), Ministry of Labour & Employment has received a number  of  complaints  regarding  termination  of  employment  of  workers  of  the industrial  establishment  falling  in  the  Central  Sphere  during  the  Covid-19 pandemic. Many of these disputes across States got resolved at the conciliation stage in the Central sphere.
- (xi)  The  Ministry  also  forwarded  the  list  of  20  Central  Control  Rooms  to  the  State Governments along with names of officers deputed by the Central Government . Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment has requested  various  State/UT  Governments  on  18.4.2020  to  designate  a  nodal officer  from  Labour  Department  to  coordinate  with  Control  Rooms  set  up  by Union Government for addressing issues of the  labour/workers in the country in view of the nationwide lockdown announced to combat COVID-19 pandemic.
- (xii) Due  to  intervention  of  control  rooms  set  up  on  11 th April  2020  by  the Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment,  Govt.  of  India,  a  total  of  16623  complaints were received consisting of 12103 pertaining to State sphere and the rest in the Central  sphere.  An  amount  of  Rs.  295  crore  (approx.)  was  got  disbursed  to 1,86,365  workers  in  the  central  sphere  due  to  substantial  intervention  and coordination  work  done  by  control  rooms    under  the  CLC(C).  These  control rooms were reactivated on 21 st April, 2021 after the second wave of Covid-19. As on 16 th June, 2021, a total of 1311 complaints were received comprising of 837 complaints from State sphere and the rest from the Central sphere. An amount of Rs  6.06  crore  got  disbursed  to  4653  workers  in  the  central  sphere  due  to intervention and coordination work done by these control rooms.
- (xiii) Under  the  EPFO's  Employees'  Deposit  Linked  Insurance  Scheme,  all surviving dependent family members of the members of this scheme are eligible to avail benefits of EDLI in case of death in harness of the member. A notification issued by the Ministry has made following amendments to the EDLI scheme of EPFO: (a) Amount of maximum benefit has been increased from ₹6 lakhs to ₹7 lakhs  to  the  family  members  of  deceased  employee.  (b)    Minimum  assurance benefit of ₹2.5 lakh to eligible family members of deceased employees who was a member for a continuous period of 12 months in one or more establishments preceding his death in place of existing provision of continuous employment in the same establishment for 12 months. It will benefit contractual/casual labourers who were losing out on benefits due to condition of continuous one year in one establishment.  Restoration  of  provision  of  minimum  2.5  lakh  compensation

retrospectively,  i.e.,  from  15th  February  2020.  These  welfare  measures  will provide the much needed support to the families of workers who have died due to the COVID-19 disease and will protect them from financial hardships in these challenging times of pandemic.

- (xiv) The  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment  has  announced  additional benefits for workers through ESIC and EPFO schemes to address the fear and anxiety of workers about well-being of their family members due to increase in incidences  of  death  due  to  Covid-19  pandemic.  Enhanced  social  security  is sought to be provided to the workers without any additional cost to the employer. Currently for the Insured Persons (IPs) under ESIC, after death or disablement of the IP due to employment injury a pension equivalent to 90% of average daily wage drawn by the worker is available to the spouse and widowed mother for life long and for children till they attain the age of 25 years. For the female child, the benefit is available till her marriage.

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