AP to celebrate May Day Celebrations at Rajahmundry

Rajahmundry, April 30: Andhra Pradesh will celebrate the state's first International Workers Day at Rajahmundry onMay 1st.

On this special day, the labour department is announcing schemes encompassing unorganized labourers, drivers and employers. Smart Cards will be issued for unorganized labourers under Accident Insurance scheme. The registration process for the issue of Smart cards will begin soon. This card will help the labourers to reap benefits of labour welfare programmes that will be launched by the union and state governments.

Drivers and labourers can enroll their names online or at the nearest e-seva centres. The smart cards will be issued with details of Aadhar number, bank account and other details. The government aims to incorporate one crore labourers under this scheme.

There will be an MoU with the Insurer for Rs 3 Lakh Accident Insurance. The labourers will be enrolled in Pradhan Mantri Bima Surakasha Yojana under which the unorganized workers will benefit Rs 2 Lakh accident death insurance by opening a Jan Dhan Yojana Savings Bank Account.

Going beyond the promise of Rs 5 lakh Accident Death Insurance scheme for drivers, the government also notified 'AP Transport Drivers Social Security Scheme' which will reap benefit for over 5 lakh drivers. Following benefits can be availed under the scheme:

Rs 5 Lakhs Accident death Insurance,
Rs 75,000 for total permanent disability,
Rs 37,500 for partial permanent disability,
Rs 30,000 for natural death, and
Scholarship of Rs 1,200 p.a., per head for 2 children of the beneficiary studying 9th, 10th, Intermediate or ITI.

The newly formed state requires to be built from the scratch. Hence, it would require a huge pool of employment opportunities for the labour.

The state government introduced a slew of labour reforms by bringing in a new Act by name 'AP Integrated Registration Act, 2015'. Under the act, any employer can submit application online by paying a nominal amount of Rs 25 for the generation of a certificate. This certificate is an integrated registration of six labour laws under which the establishment has to register. The labour department is also working to facilitate filing of Integrated Returns online with relevant particulars.

The entire registration processes has been digitized to eliminate middlemen and bring in transparency. Andhra Pradesh being a labour friendly state, labour welfare and protection of their rights has been at the forefront while formulating the Act.

On this day, the labour department is launching its web portal labour.ap.gov.in. Transport drivers, unorganised workers and employers can register on the website with their ID proofs.

In order to create awareness among the labourers, an informative booklet titled 'Karmikulaku Andaga' will be released. The booklet will encompass welfare measures and service conditions under labour laws in force. This will help in curbing violations and establishing a healthier work environment for workers, employers and stakeholders.