Employees State Insurance Corporation to include unemployment cover for members
19 September 2018: Government rolled out the “Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna” (ABVKY) to provide unemployment allowances to workers. Acknowledging “the change in employment pattern and the current scenario of employment in India which has transformed from a long-term employment to fixed short-term engagement”, ABVKY will provide a cash relief to workers who are unemployed for 3 months after leaving the previous job. The scheme is applicable to workers who’ve been subscribers for at least 2 years.
The workers will be able to withdraw a cash relief after 3 months of continued unemployment amounting to 25% of their wages for the last 90 days during their employment. The relief will be funded by workers’ ESI contributions and be to limited 47% of the total contribution made by them.
ESIC has also increased the amount for funeral expenses of insured persons from existing ₹10,000 to ₹15,000.
Delhi: Government sets deadline for constituting internal complaints committee
18 September 2018: The Delhi government set a deadline of 30 November 2018 for all formal institutions and organisations in the state to form internal committees (ICs) as mandated under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 to look into matters of sexual harassment at workplace.
All such organisations will also have to get a certificate from respective district offices as proof of having set up the IC. To promote the laws under the Act, the Delhi government has also decided to launch an awareness campaign.
Centre hikes remuneration of ASHA and Aanganwadi Workers
11 September 2018: Centre has raised the remuneration of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers and Aanganwadi workers from ₹ 3,000 to ₹4,500 and ₹2,200 to ₹3,500 respectively. It also hiked the ‘honorarium’ for Aanganwadi helpers from ₹1,500 to ₹ 2,250. The hiked remuneration will be applicable from October, 2018. Aanganwadi workers and helpers using techniques such as Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS), would get additional incentives. These incentives ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 500 would be based on performance.
ASHA workers and their helpers would also be provided free insurance cover under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Prime Minister Suraksha Bima Yojana. The rates of routine incentives have also been doubled.
However, unions and workers while welcoming the revised remuneration remain unmoved from their demand of regularisation of work and inflation adjusted wages.
Contract workers at Coal Indian Limited to get Provident Fund Coverage
11 September 2018: The Ministry of Coal along with Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries has decided to extend the cover of Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation (CMPFO) to include contract workers. The move will benefit around 70,000 contract coal mine workers employed by CIL and Singareni Collieries. Contract workers in CIL earn 2/3rds of permanent worker wages and mostly denied social security and health benefits at par with their permanent colleagues.
