Lok Sabha Question No. 1990 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-13
Subject: Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Sisir Kumar Adhikari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1990 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2023

## RASHTRIYA SWASTHYA BIMA YOJANA

## 1990.  SHRI SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI:

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

- (a) whether the  bima  yojana  for  unorganised  workers,  which  saw  an allocation  of  ten  lakh  in  the last  budget,  has  been  stopped  for 2023-24;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the details of State-wise expenditure involved therein;
- (c) the details of allocations and expenditure towards Rashtriya Swasthya  Bima  Yojana  (RSBY),  family  pension-cum-life  insurance scheme  for  plantation  workers,  rehabilitation  of  bonded  labour therein; and
- (d) the  action  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government towards  improvement    in  working  conditions  of child-woman labour  and  other  employment  and  training    programmes  since 2014?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a) to (c): With  the  launch  of  Ayushman  Bharat  -Pradhan  Mantri  Jan Arogya  Yojana  (AB-PMJAY)  on  23.09.2018,  Rashtriya  Swasthya  Bima Yojana  (RSBY)  got  subsumed  in  it.  0.22  crore  beneficiary  families belonging to BPL and 11 other defined categories that were enrolled under RSBY, are now covered under AB-PMJAY.

Contd..2/-

(d): The  Government  having  given  consideration  to  various aspects  of  the  problems  of  child  labour  enacted  the  Child  Labour (Prohibition  and  Regulation)  Act,  1986  which  was  amended  in  2016. The  amended  Act  is  now  called  the  Child  and  Adolescent  Labour (Prohibition  and  Regulation)  Act,  1986  which  inter-alia  provides  for complete  prohibition  of  work  or  employment  of  children  below  14 years in any occupation and process and adolescents in the age group of  14  to  18  years  in  hazardous  occupations  and  processes.  It  also provides for stricter punishment for employers for violation of the Act and made the offence as cognizable.

Further, Ministry of Labour & Employment has been implementing National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme  for rehabilitation  of  child  labourers  through  District  Project  Societies under  the  chairmanship  of  the  District  Magistrate.    Under  the  NCLP scheme,  the  children  in  the  age  group  of  9-14  years  are  rescued  / withdrawn  from  work  and  enrolled  in  the  NCLP  Special  Training Centres  (STCs),  where  they  are  provided  with  bridge  education, vocational  training,  mid-day  meal,  stipend,  health  care,  etc.  before being mainstreamed into formal education system.  NCLP scheme has now been subsumed under Samagara Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Scheme with effect from  01.04.2021. Henceforth, the rescued child labourers will  be  mainstreamed  into  formal  education  system  through  STC operational under SSA.

Further,  Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  administer  the Equal  Remuneration  Act,  1976  which  inter-alia  provides  that  there shall  be  no  discrimination  in  an  establishment  or  any  unit  thereof among  employees  on  the  ground  of  gender  in  matters  relating  to wages by the same employer, in respect of the same work or work of similar nature done by any employee and also prevent discrimination against women while making recruitment for the same work or work of to recruitment such as promotion, training or transfer. The provisions of similar nature, or in any condition of service subsequent the Act have been extended to all establishments or employment.

The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 has been subsumed in the Code on Wages, 2019 which also provides that there shall be no among employees on the ground of gender in matters relating to wages by the same employer, in respect of the same work or work of similar nature discrimination in an establishment or any unit thereof done by any employee.

The  Maternity  Benefit  Act,  as  amended  in  2017,  provides the paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children.  It  also  has  enabled  provision  of  'Work  from  Home',  after availing  of  the  maternity  benefit  by  the  woman,  where  the  nature  of work  being  assigned  of  such  nature,  for  such  period  and  on  such conditions  mutually  agreed  upon  by  the  employer  and  the  woman employee.

Vide notification dated 29th January, 2019 under Mines Act 1952,  the  Government  allowed  the  employment  of  women  in  the aboveground mines including open cast workings between 7 pm and 6 am  and  in  below  ground  mines  working  between  6  am  and  7  pm  in technical, supervisory and managerial work where continuous presence may not be required.

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