Bengal gives financial aid to over 30K workers

Kolkata: Taking a major move, the Mamata Banerjee government has brought in workers of 190 different closed units under the "Financial Assistance to the Workers of Locked Out Industries" (FAWLOI) scheme in the past one-and-a-half-year benefiting them at this critical time of COVID-19.

According to sources in the state government, more than 30,000 workers have been brought under the scheme in this time period. In the 2019-20 financial year, more than 25,000 workers of around 185 closed units were brought under the same and in the past six months the state government has included more than 5,000 workers in the scheme.

Recently, workers of around eleven closed units have been brought under the FAWLOI scheme. It includes five tea gardens. Four are in Alipurduar district.

Under the scheme, each of the beneficiaries gets financial assistance of Rs 19,500 every year. The assistance is given on a monthly basis. Every month a worker gets an assistance of Rs 1,500 and an additional support of equal amount is provided during a major festival.

Usually a permanent employee of a unit, including jute factory and tea gardens etc, gets the financial assistance every month if the same is closed during his or her period of service.

The person continues to get the same till her or she attends the age of 58. The assistance gets discontinued in case the company finally settles the issues related to provident fund and gratuity with the employee, a senior official said adding that the employees of a unit get the benefit once approval is given by the screening committee following necessary application is made to the state government only after a factory is closed for at least six months.

In case of abandoned tea gardens, steps to help the workers by providing them financial assistance can be taken if the same remain closed for at least three months.