Jobs, higher wages key focus areas for govt: Bandaru Dattatreya on May Day

Scheme launched to provide medical help to migrant workers, families

Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Monday asserted the government has "moved quite ahead" on the employment generation front and will focus more on increasing wages and social security for workers.

Speaking at the International Labour Day function, the minister said: "Employment generation is our priority and going forward will give a lot of focus on it."

Dattatreya said India was not behind when it comes to employment generation and the country has "moved quite ahead".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, has accorded top priority to jobs creation and the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana has been announced in view of the same objective. An allocation of Rs 1,000 crore has been made towards the scheme, the minister added.

The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Under it, the employers would be provided an incentive for enhancing employment by reimbursement of the 8.33 per cent EPS contribution made by the employer in respect of new employment.

The Centre, he said, will in the interest of the workers increase their minimum wages.

"The more the skill is enhanced the more wages would increase. If good scale comes then the workers will not only get minimum wage but also fair wage," the minister explained.

Stating that job, wages and social security are the goals of the government, the minister said the Centre was also giving a lot of focus on the unorganised sector.

During the function, the minister also launched the facility of medical help to migrant workers and their families residing at different places, besides an online claim submission by members using UAN interface.

As part of government's initiatives, all Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) members who have activated their UAN and seeded their KYC (Aadhaar) with EPFO will be able to apply for PF final settlement, pension withdrawal benefit and PF part withdrawal from their UAN interface directly.