(a) whether the Government proposes to provide insurance for labourers in organised and
unorganised sectors in the country; and
(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the insurance policy incentives made available
for labourers in the aforesaid sectors?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI HARISH RAWAT)
(a) & (b): In order to provide social security to the employees covered under the scheme
who lose their jobs due to closure of factories/establishments retrenchment or permanent
disability due to non employment injury and become part of unorganised sector, the ESIC
introduced a scheme of unemployment allowance called the Rajiv Gandhi Sharmik Kalayan Yojana
with effect from 01.04.2005. Under the Scheme, employees who lose their employment due to
closure of factories/establishments, retrenchment or permanent invalidity due to non-employment
injury, after being insured for five or more years, are entitled to Unemployment Allowance in
cash equal to 50% of their wage up to one year during his/her entire service. In addition,
during the period for which a person is entitled to unemployment allowance, he and his family
members are also entitled to medical care from ESI Dispensaries, Panel Clinics and ESI
Hospitals. In order to assist the Insured Persons in receipt of Unemployment allowance
under the Scheme in getting suitable reemployment by upgrading their skills, those insured
persons who undergo training at Vocational Training Centres run by Ministry of Labour, Govt.
of India are also paid any fee charged by the institution as well as expenses on their travel.
Upto 31-5-2009, an amount of Rs. 3.41 Crores had been disbursed as unemployment allowance
under the scheme in 2336 cases.
Apart from insurance schemes for weavers, artisans, Group insurance for Beedi, Cine and Non-
Coal Mine workers, Janshree Bima Yojana for ‘below poverty line’ and marginally above poverty
line, the Government has launched the ‘Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana’ on 1st October, 2007
for providing smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30000/- per annum to BPL
families in the unorganized sector. The scheme became operational from 01.04.2008.
To provide death and disability cover to rural landless household between the age group of
the 18 to 59 years, the Government launched the “Aam Admi Bima Yojana’.