CM launches Shram Yogi scheme in U'khand

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Tuesday launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana (PM-SYM) in the hill-state, officials said.

Terming the national pension scheme for workers and labourers of unorganised sector as another step by the Centre to empower the poor, Rawat distributed PM-SYM pension cards to fifteen beneficiaries.

Under the scheme, announced in the interim budget in February and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad, labourers in the unorganised sector will get a monthly pension of Rs 3000 after the age of 60.

"Ninety per cent of labourers work in the unorganised sector. The prime minister has shown how much he cares for them by launching a scheme like this. He has always thought about the poor, farmers and labourers," he said.

Ayushman Bharat, Kisan Samman Nidhi, toilet for every home, Jan Dhan Yojana are all schemes which will directly benefit the poor, Rawat said.

This is also keeping in with the philosophy of raising the standard of living of people on the lowest step of the development ladder which was propounded by the likes of Swami Vivekananda, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay and guru Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, he added.

Labourers who are between 18 and 40 years of age and whose monthly income is less than Rs 15000 can join the scheme which covers domestic helps, scrap dealers, farm labourers besides those engaged in construction work, weaving and vending activities.

Labourers of these categories who register themselves for the scheme at the age of 18 years will have to pay a monthly premium of Rs 55, those at 29 years Rs 100 per month as premium and those aged 40 years a premium of Rs 200.

The centre will contribute an amount equal to the individual premiums.