Smart card for unorganised sector workers soon: Dattatreya

The Centre would soon issue smart cards to the workers of the unorganised sector to enable them to access a number of social security benefits, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said here today.
Noting that the 45 crore workers in the unorganised sector have not been provided with social security benefits, Dattatreya, who is Minister of State for Labour, said the government would give them U-WIN (Unorganised Worker Identification Number) card to access the benefits and a portal would be opened for the initiative.
"There are construction workers, beedi workers, anganwadi workers. They need social security. They do not have health, houses, pensions and housing. We will give U-WIN card and offer Rashtriya Swasth Bima Yojana, Aam Admi Bima Yojana, old age pension," he said at a meeting organised on the occasion of NDA government completing one year in office.

"In addition to them, the three wonderful schemes of the Prime Minister - (Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana)... These schemes are launched for social security. Our card would have all this," the minister said.
The card would function even if the worker migrates from one city to another, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch the social security schemes for the unorganised sector either this month-end or first week of June, he said.

Referring to the Rs 27,000 crore inoperative amount lying with the EPFO, Dattatreya said a help desk was formed and that the money is being disbursed now.

If all subscribers take the Universal Account Number (UAN) there would be no inoperative accounts in the future, he said.
The NDA government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has initiated several path-breaking measures including efforts to recover black money, auctioning of coal blocks, greater allocation of funds for states, enhanced relief for farmers in times of natural calamities, 'beti bachao beti padhao' for girls, social security schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, foreign policy initiatives among others, Dattatreya said.
Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy and several other leaders were present on the occasion.