Udupi : The Common People Welfare Association has demanded that initiatives should be taken to ensure that people enrol themselves under ESIS Scheme in large number.
Speaking to the mediapersons, Common People Welfare Association Udupi president J A Koteyar said the scheme ensures better retirement benefits. He said it is found that there are less people in Udupi who have enrolled for the scheme. If at all the scheme has to be effectively implemented, there should be large number of beneficiaries.
He demanded that the government should also come forward to take up the scheme for effective implementation.
He said ESIS should be made compulsory in the organisations which have more than 10 employees. He said there is also a hidden agenda that labourers are compelled to not to get enrolled under ESIS. The government should see that the officials who misguide the employees against ESIS are punished. It is disgusting that the officials are least interested in the process of ensuring the facilities to the labourers, Koteyar said.
Every employee who draws a salary of Rs 25,000 and above should be incorporated under ESIS scheme. The retired officials should also be extended the ESIS facilities. He urged that auto rickshaw and taxi drivers a well as contract labourers should also be included in the ESIS scheme.
He noted that the Kerala and Delhi governments have made it compulsory for all the workers. Shortly, the Kerala government will also include auto rickshaw and taxi drivers under the scheme.
In Kerala, 100 per cent labour class have been involved under the scheme. He demanded that the scheme should be extended to the unorganized labourers.
Koteyar said the designated hospitals in the district are KMC Manipal, Prasad Nethralaya, High-Tech and Adarsh Hospitals.
He said there are nearly 10,000 labourers working in hotel industry in the district but only 10 per cent labourers have been involved under the scheme.
In the hospital sector, there are nearly 15,000 labourers and mere eight per cent are under the scheme, he added. The ESIS is at presently implemented in 31 States and Union Territories.