<p>Belagavi: Various stakeholders have welcomed the government’s decision to increase the labour welfare fund, even as they raised questions about its utility. </p>.<p>The government will table the Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2024, at the Winter Session of the legislature in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/belagavi">Belagavi</a>.</p>.<p>The bill seeks to increase the contribution from employees, employers and the government towards the labour welfare fund.</p>.Debt crisis: Why Karnataka is not alone.<p>Currently the employee, employer and government pay Rs 20, Rs 20 and Rs 40, respectively, per year towards the welfare fund. The new bill seeks to enhance the respective contribution of employees, government and employer to Rs 50, Rs 50 and Rs 100.</p>.<p>The proposed move is likely to fetch around Rs 90 crore for the labour fund.</p>.<p>“The intention is to provide more social security schemes to organised workers. We provide scholarship to their children, provide money for health issues. The fund has increased significantly over the years,” said an official in the labour department.</p>.<p>Labour unions unanimously welcomed the move to raise the contribution, but also raised questions about the effective implementation of these funds.</p>.<p>“Duplication of schemes must be avoided. For instance, labour fund is spent on sports and cultural activities, which actually come under schemes in the sports and Kannada and Culture departments. There should be better coordination among the departments,” said Vijay Bhaskar D A, general secretary of AITUC Karnataka.</p>.<p>He added that welfare must be defined, trade unions must be taken into confidence and the schemes must be framed.</p>.<p>Bhaskar pointed out that schemes should be so planned as to accommodate the unorganised sector workers, who number a whopping 1.8 crore in the state.</p>.<p> “Providing a greater contribution is not enough. The threshold for the eligibility of workers for these schemes should be increased from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000, so that more workers are covered,” said Meenakshi Sundaram, general secretary, CITU Karnataka.</p>.<p>However, Bhaskar differed on this point, arguing that increasing the cap would not be ideal since workers come under ESI and PF benefits, starting from a monthly salary of Rs 21,000.</p>
<p>Belagavi: Various stakeholders have welcomed the government’s decision to increase the labour welfare fund, even as they raised questions about its utility. </p>.<p>The government will table the Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2024, at the Winter Session of the legislature in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/belagavi">Belagavi</a>.</p>.<p>The bill seeks to increase the contribution from employees, employers and the government towards the labour welfare fund.</p>.Debt crisis: Why Karnataka is not alone.<p>Currently the employee, employer and government pay Rs 20, Rs 20 and Rs 40, respectively, per year towards the welfare fund. The new bill seeks to enhance the respective contribution of employees, government and employer to Rs 50, Rs 50 and Rs 100.</p>.<p>The proposed move is likely to fetch around Rs 90 crore for the labour fund.</p>.<p>“The intention is to provide more social security schemes to organised workers. We provide scholarship to their children, provide money for health issues. The fund has increased significantly over the years,” said an official in the labour department.</p>.<p>Labour unions unanimously welcomed the move to raise the contribution, but also raised questions about the effective implementation of these funds.</p>.<p>“Duplication of schemes must be avoided. For instance, labour fund is spent on sports and cultural activities, which actually come under schemes in the sports and Kannada and Culture departments. There should be better coordination among the departments,” said Vijay Bhaskar D A, general secretary of AITUC Karnataka.</p>.<p>He added that welfare must be defined, trade unions must be taken into confidence and the schemes must be framed.</p>.<p>Bhaskar pointed out that schemes should be so planned as to accommodate the unorganised sector workers, who number a whopping 1.8 crore in the state.</p>.<p> “Providing a greater contribution is not enough. The threshold for the eligibility of workers for these schemes should be increased from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000, so that more workers are covered,” said Meenakshi Sundaram, general secretary, CITU Karnataka.</p>.<p>However, Bhaskar differed on this point, arguing that increasing the cap would not be ideal since workers come under ESI and PF benefits, starting from a monthly salary of Rs 21,000.</p>
