Govt to bear part of salary of staff from state in pvt firms

Minister for Labour Santosh Lad said on Tuesday that the government had proposed a new scheme for the welfare of construction workers.

Called the Ambedkar Karmika Sahaya Hastha, the scheme will be implemented through the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. An amount of Rs 6,000 crore present with the Board will be utilised for the welfare of more than 60 lakh workers, the minister said.

Lad said the scheme would benefit 11 lakh building construction workers, besides 3 lakh labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The scheme will come into effect on a trial basis in Dharwad, Ballari, Chitradurga, Raichur and Koppal districts.

All registered workers will get smart cards, so that they can avail benefits of a number of government projects. A new project - Akashadeepa - seeks to reserve jobs for Kannadigas in private companies and the government will bear 16 to 18% of the salaries of those selected for two years, the minister said.