Subodh Kant Sahai assumes charge as Minister of Food Processing Industries

New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): Subodh Kant Sahai assumed charge as the Food Processing Industries Minister here on Friday,

He was welcomed by Secretary Ashok Sinha and other senior officers of the Ministry. mmediately, after assuming charge, Sahai had a meeting with all the senior officers of the Ministry and reviewed the status of various programmes and issues relating to the Ministry.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Mallikarjun Kharge and Minister of State in the Ministry, Harish Rawat assumed the charge of their respective offices.

Secretary Labour and Employment, Sudha Pillai, along with the senior officials of the Ministry, briefed the two Ministers on various important matters concerning the Ministry including the priority areas.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Kharge outlined the priority areas of the Ministry.

He said that expansion of skill development initiative would be taken up in a big way and similarly, it would be ensured that the coverage under the Rashtriya Swasthaya Bima Yojna (RSBY) Scheme is expanded to cover all BPL workers within three years.

"The RSBY which already covers the building workers will also be expanded to cover others above poverty line (APL) workers in the unorganized sector.

The Minister further said that the other priority areas include the implementation of social security schemes under the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, the promulgation of the National Employment Policy and amendment of EPF and ESI Acts to cover all establishments with ten or more employees instead of existing threshold of 20 employees. (ANI)