GUWAHATI, Sept 2 - As a helping hand during the medical emergency situation, the Labour Welfare department of Assam has paid Rs 2,000 as the one-time assistance to as many as 2,21,374 labourers till date. Minister of State for Labour Welfare department Sanjoy Kishan made the statement in the Assembly today in reply to a question raised by MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha.
The minister further informed the House that all those beneficiaries were construction workers and are registered with the department. Meanwhile, he also said that a section of registered labourers could not avail the benefit as their bank accounts were not in active stage.
Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia and Opposition MLAs including Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Mamun Imdadul Haque Chawdhury demanded proper and timely steps from the government for the labourers who have faced immense trouble amid the lockdown.
Replying to the issue, Minister Kishan said that the situation created by the ongoing pandemic is totally new for all and the department is doing its best to tackle all the issues. The department is also emphasizing on creating awareness among labourers on how to avail benefits under different government schemes, he added.
Kishan stated that in the current financial year, up to July, State Government has accumulated Rs 41.58 crore as labour cess. He also informed that Assam has 17,494 registered unorganized workers under the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008.
Participating in the debate, minister of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Development department Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the House that State Government is working actively to address the issues of labourers who had returned to the State during the lockdown. They will get employment under different schemes accordingly, he added.
