Centre to extend ESI sop for unorganised labourers: Bandaru Dattatreya

KOCHI: Union minister of state for labour and employment, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya informed that various unorganised sectors in the country will be brought under a single platform soon. While talking to the media here on Monday, the minister said that a large number of labourers working in the unorganised sector are often being subjected to exploitation in many ways. “The Union government wants to bring them together and plans are afoot to introduce ESI and other schemes for them. Initially, Anganwadi and ASHA workers will be brought under the ESI while in the second phase, autorickshaw drivers will be included,” he said.

With an objective to create more employment opportunities, more vacancies will be created in private and public sectors, he added. Talking on the BJP’s growth in the state, he said that by the next Assembly elections, the BJP will be able to increase the number of its MLAs in the Assembly from 1 to 10. Earlier, during his visit to the ESI Hospital at Pathalam, near here, the minister announced the upgradation of the hospital into a super specialty hospital within a year. He agreed to set up super specialty departments fir cardiology, nephrology, oncology, burns unit and a blood bank with modern equipments.