GoM to meet again on Bill for the Unorganised workforce: Fernandes

New Delhi, Aug 6 (UNI) In an apprarent move to minimise the impact of the proposed all India general strike called by CITU on Wednesday, the government has reconvened the meeting of the Group of Ministers to prepare a fresh draft of the Unorganised Sector Social Security Bill to be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The redrafted Bill will incorporate the accidental death and pension benefits along with health care scheme for the workforce in the unofficial sector.

''The Prime Minister has been kind enough to reconvene the meeting of the Group of Ministers to redraft the Bill, which shows the government's commitment to do something substantial for the workforce in the unofficial sector. This is not just for name sake,'' Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes told newspersons about two-and-a-half hour before CITU would come out with the details of its countrywide stir.

The hurriedly called media get together, which the Minister chose to term ''informal'', assumes significance in the wake of the Trade Unions and the government heading towards confrontation over the issue of social security and other benefits to the unorganised workers.

While CITU proposes to hold an all India general strike on August 8, the sponsoring committee of the Unions, including the BMS, INTUC and AITUC, has convened a meeting on August 19 to finalise its course of action.

Seeking to remove the apprehensions of the central trade unions who were on a collision course with the government over the ''apathy'' towards their long-pending demand, the Minister stressed that the government was working out on inducting the disability benefit in the Bill.

Mr Fernandes said the Bill would be given a final shape in the second meeting of the GoM, which will meet very soon to suggest substantial benefits to the unorganised workers. ''Then it will be presented to the Cabinet for approval,'' he added.

The Minister was, however, evasive on specifics of the Bill. He impressed upon the media not to lose sight of various centrally-funded schemes like the NREGS, initiated in 200 districts and extended to another 100 districts.

''Schemes under the Bharat Nirman, National Rural Health Mission and other such flagship programmes also help the unorganised workers to get employment,'' he said adding that the existing schemes would also be integrated in the Bill.

On the workers bodies demand for separate Bills for the agricultural workers and other sections of the unorganised sector, and the provision of Rs 35,000 to 40000 crore to implement the commitments in the National Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance government, the Minister remained non-committal.

''We are trying to cover as much as possible as we can not implement the assurance in one go,'' the Minister said while emphasising that the existing state-level schemes for the purpose would also be integrated in the Bill.

UNI