CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, May 10: Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana (PMSYMY) is a pension scheme by the central government which is meant for old age protection and social security of unorganised workers (UW). However, this scheme is not being implemented completely and properly in Jharkhand.
As per the state government data, there are around 36.34 lakh workers in the unorganised sector.
Out of these, only 1,71,931 workers have enrolled themselves in this scheme, as per the stats provided on the official website. The target was to cover 92 percent of the unorganised workers under this scheme in the last three years but it seems to be an incomplete task.
Bindeshwari Prasad, State General Secretary of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has informed lagatar24.com that the scheme has not been implemented fully with regard to the strength of labour in the state.
“The PMSYMY scheme is a very good initiative by the central government as it focuses on the unorganised workers. However, the scheme has not been implemented completely in Jharkhand even after three years of its inception. Many workers who work in factories and other organizations are unaware of this pension scheme,” Prasad said.
Lagatar24.com tried to contact the concerned officials from the Department of Labour to know the initiatives taken to increase the enrollment but no one was available to give a statement.
Notably, PMSYMY is a voluntary pension scheme where the beneficiary would receive a minimum assured pension of Rs 3000 per month after completing the age of 60 years. If the beneficiary dies, the spouse of the beneficiary will receive 50% of the pension as a family pension.
The workers in the unorganised sectors in India contribute around 50 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The scheme was implemented in 2019 as a way to help these workers.