Government credits over Rs 43,784 crore in EPF accounts of 54 lakh beneficiaries till March 26

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

The Union government credited benefits of more than Rs 43,784 crores in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) accounts of more than 54 lakh beneficiaries through more than one lakh establishments under Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY) till March 26. The amount has been disbursed as part of social security and welfare measures for workers, including migrants.

The information was laid out by Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the last day of the Parliament’s Budget Session 2022.

He further informed that other welfare measures include benefit of Rs 2567 crores to retain about 39 lakh low wage employees under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana( PMGKY) and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan (PMGKRA) generating more than 50 crore mandays with Rs 39,293 crores.

Besides, working capital loan to street vendors under PMSVA Nidhi Scheme and special programme under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana in the selected districts having high concentration of returnee migrant workers were facilitated.

In order to safeguard the interest of the migrant workers, the Central government had enacted the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service Act, 1979.

This Act has now been subsumed under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code 2020. It provides for decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievances redressal mechanisms, toll free helpline, protection from abuse and exploitation, and social security to all categories of organised and unorganised workers.

Besides, the government has enacted the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 which provides for payment of equal remuneration to all workers for the same work or work of similar nature without any discrimination. It is enforced by the Union and State governments.

Moreover, under the provision of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the wages fixed by the appropriate government are applicable to all types of workers including migrant workers. These have also been subsumed in the Code on Wages, 2019.