Northern states doing well in implementing labour laws: Pillai

Gurgaon, Sep 24 (UNI) Union Labour Secretary Sudha Pillai today lauded the efforts of Haryana Government in implementing schemes for labourers' welfare, health and safety.

Ms Pillai was presiding over a special group meeting of northern region on 'implementation of building and other construction workers Act 1996 and bonded labour (Abolition) Act 1976' organised in Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) here today.

"The construction workers are covered under five basic laws but in many cases, they are deprived of the benefits given under the laws. Taking the economic conditions of these labourers engaged in construction sector, the Supreme court has given directions to all the states to constitute advisory committees, welfare board and notify rules for the welfare of labourers," she said, adding that barring one or two states, most of the northern states had complied with these directions.

In the meeting she reviewed the implementation of the Acts made for ameliorating the lot of labourers in the states of north India.

The labour secretaries of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh participated in the meeting.

Earlier, Financial Commissioner of Haryana Labour department Naresh Gulati welcomed the guests and apprised them about the policies and programmes adopted in Haryana for welfare of labourers.

He said that the state government had decided to provide health insurance to the labourers on the pattern of Rastriya Swasthaya Bima Yojna under which the BPL families upto five members were given indoor treatment facility of Rs 30,000 per annum with free insurance of Rs 75,000. Besides, the medical bills of actual expenses incurred on treatment of chronic diseases like Cancer, Aids, TB and Heart diseases would be reimbursed upto Rs 1 lakh per year.

UNI PS BP2048