Labour dept includes over 1.64 cr workers, disburses Rs 2347 crore

The Labour department has included over 1.64 crore workers under Bina Mulya Samajik Suraksha Yojana (BMSSY) and has disbursed a record Rs 2347 crores under the scheme in the last 12 years since Mamata Banerjee took over as the Chief Minister in May 2011.

“The Samajik Suraksha Yojana (SSY) started in 2000 and up to 2011, before the Trinamool Congress-led government came to power, only 27 lakh workers were included in SSY and the total expenditure under the scheme was only Rs 9 crore. In a single year during the erstwhile Left Front government, the spending in SSY was less than Rs 1 crore. Whereas, since May 2011, our government has spent Rs 2347 crore under this scheme which bears a clear testimony to the emphasis that our government lays on the welfare of the labourers,” state Labour minister Moloy Ghatak said inaugurating the two-day Labour Fair at Ramlila Maidan in Moulali on Wednesday.

It is learnt that during the Left Front regime, the state government gave Rs 30 while the concerned labour had to pay Rs 25 a month as subscription payment for provident funds. However, to assist the enrolled beneficiaries further, the incumbent government, with effect from April 1, 2020, waived off the beneficiary contribution of Rs.25. Hence, the scheme was renamed as BMSSY. A retired labourer now gets Rs 2.80 lakhs on retirement and other benefits.

Broadly three types of benefits are extended by the Labour department under BMSSY — death benefits, provident fund benefits and disability benefits. The death benefit and the disability benefit vary in the range of Rs 50000 to 2 lakh. Ghatak said that the salary of the tea garden workers has been increased to Rs 250 per day from Rs Rs 67 per day. About 35kg ration is provided free to the families of these workers per month.

State Industry and Commerce minister Shashi Panja officially inaugurated the Shramik Mela (Labour Fair) in presence of senior officials of the Labour department.