IMPHAL, June 15: With a view to providing social security to unorganized workers, including landless agricultural labours, the Government enacted the “Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008”.
The Act provides for constitution of National Social Security Board to recommend social security schemes, namely, life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and any other benefit as may be determined by the Government for unorganized workers.
The following are the recent initiatives undertaken by the Government for unorganized sector, including landless agricultural labours:
The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) was launched on April 1, 2008, to provide smart cart based cashless health insurance cover of Rs 30,000 per annum on family floater basis to BPL families (a unit of five) in the unorganized sector.
The Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY) was launched on October 2, 2007 with a view to providing insurance cover to the head of family or one earning member of rural landless households between the age of 18 years and 59 years.
The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) has been expanded by revising the criteria of eligibility. All citizens above the age of 60 years and living below poverty line are eligible for benefits under the scheme.