Fulfil assurances on Women's reservation, agricultural workers-

New Delhi May 25 (UNI) Welcoming the Union Cabinet's approval of a legislation to provide social security and Identity cards for unorganised workers above 18 years, the Left parties today warned the UPA government that the Unorganised Workers Bill 2007 should not meet the fate of the Tribal Bill.

Talking to UNI, the top leaders of the CPI and CPI(M) said the move was welcomed even though the central Unions would scrutinise the actual draft when published.

They also demanded that the Central government come out with legislations on Women's reservation and agriculture workers- two major committments as enshrined in the CMP.

The Union government yesterday approved the Bill, to be introduced in the Monsoon session of Parliament, providing social security cover and identity cards for the unorganised workers above 18 years of age.

The registered unorganised workers would be eligible for life and disability cover, health benefits, old age protection or any other benefit decided by the Centre.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said the Cabinet's approval was welcomed despite the fact that the government had delayed it for nearly three years even as the Arjun Sengupta Committee had submitted its recommendations during that period.

Mr Yechury said the party would come out with detailed suggestions when the Bill was introduced in the Monsoon session of the Parliament.

''The Unorganised Workers Bill 2007 was directly related to 93% of the total work force of the country. The trade Unions and other Civil Society organisations working among the informal sector had put forward several suggestions to enrich the proposed bill," said Debarata Biswas of All India Forward Bloc. He, however, voiced his apprehension about the bill's financial aspects, state share, felicitation centre, issues of Self employed workers, and people working in the sector where no regular employers were there to pay the dues.

CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said it was good that the UPA government had finally announced to fulfil one of the major commitments in the CMP.

''The Bill of social security for unorganised sector was a welcome step - obviously the trade unions would scrutinise when the actual draft was published." Mr Faizi, the veteran Communist leader, said.

The CPI leader, however warned the government that the bill should not meet the fate of the Tribal bill that had been passed in Parliament but no rules had been framed by the government till now.

The Left leaders hoped the government would gather enough courage to bring the Bill on Women's Reservation and the agricultural workers as well.

UNI