FinMin package inadequate, includes existing schemes: AITUC

The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Fridaytermed the government's economic package inadequate to tackle the situation arising from COVID 19 and said it includes already running schemes.

On Wednesday, AITUC demanded a Rs 5 lakh crore package for the needy to deal with the lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus threat.

The package announced on Thursday covers workers, mainly registered construction workers, women holding Jan Dhan accounts, families covered under Ujjawala for free cylinders and farmers, among others.

The package is inadequate as much more needs to be done for vast majority of workers who remain excluded, AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur said in a statement.

In the construction industry, this package would cover only 3.48 crore registered workers out of about 9 crore workers engaged in this industry who remain unregistered, the statement said.

The unregistered workers also need financial help to live and to fight Covid-19, AITUC said noting that about Rs 52,000 crore is available with welfare boards of construction collected through cess.

Out of 54 crore workers with almost 90 per cent in the unorganized sector as of now in 2020 (The last figure of 47.4 crore is based on 2010 census), almost 40 crore need to be addressed immediately, the union demanded.

The estimates are that 10 crore and above are migrant workforce in all sectors including in construction, agriculture, factories, among others.

They are very hard hit and substantial number of them could not reach their homes as the railways and road transport were abruptly stopped, it added.

There is meagre Rs 500 per month help for Jan Dhan women account holders. Free gas schemesunder Ujjawala will cover about 6.5 crore homes but leaves out those who are homeless or migrant workers and are not covered under this scheme, it pointed out.

As regards announcement ofEPF to 4 lakh established units, only about 4.8 crore workers will be covered, it said.