(a) the details of the medical facilities available for the agricultural labourers which come under the unorganised sector;
(b) whether the Government proposes to implement separate medical facility on the line of `Employees State Insurance` for the above labourers; and
(c) if not, the steps being taken by the Government to ensure and meet the medical need of that category?
MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI K. CHANDRASEKHAR RAO)
(a): The Ministry of Labour & Employment has not been implementing any scheme for providing medical facilities to the agricultural workers. However, there are certain schemes providing medical facilities being implemented for some categories of unorganised sector workers viz; workers engaged in beedi rolling, certain non-coal mines and cine workers under their respective welfare funds. The redesignated Universal Health Insurance Scheme is available for the families living below poverty line (BPL) which, inter-alia, include agricultural labourers also at subsidized annual premium of Rs.165, Rs.248 and Rs.330 for individual, for a family of five and for a family of seven respectively. The scheme provides for reimbursement of hospitalization expenses up to Rs.30,000/- on floater basis per family, coverage of death of worker due to accident (Rs.25,000/-) etc.
(b): No, Sir.
(c): So far as, Central Government Hospitals like Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Smt. Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, New Delhi and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry are concerned, free treatment is provided to general public including agricultural labourers also. Agricultural labourers alongwith others are availing the facilities of medical and health care infrastructure of States also viz; from the State/District Hospitals, Primary Health Centers and sub-center level spread all over the country.