Chhattisgarh govt boosts welfare for unorganised workers under Atal Shram Sashaktikaran Yojana

Raipur, Aug 25 (PTI) Unorganised labourers and their families in Chhattisgarh have been receiving the benefits of all government schemes, covering health facilities, food and financial security, under the Atal Shram Sashaktikaran Yojana, a government official said on Monday.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the state government has been running the Atal Shram Sashaktikaran Yojana, aimed at the overall development and welfare of unorganised workers and their families, a government statement said.

As a part of the initiative, labourers can access all government schemes through the "Shramev Jayate" portal.

The state has also tied up with 106 private hospitals to provide cashless treatment for ailments, including those related to the heart, kidneys, and brain, as well as complex surgeries in super-speciality hospitals, it said.

Efforts are also underway to set up new dispensaries in labour-dominated areas, Tilda and Urla (Raipur) and Lara and Kharsia (Raigarh).

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has signed agreements with 106 private hospitals to provide tertiary medical facilities to the insured beneficiaries on a cashless basis.

There is a provision for treatment related to various types of heart, kidney and brain diseases, complex surgeries, etc., at these hospitals, the release said.

According to the release, the ESIC has built 100-bed hospitals in Raipur and Korba. OPDs have been started in these hospitals for insured beneficiaries.

Construction work of 100-bed hospitals is underway in Bhilai and Raigarh, and ESIC has approved the construction of a similar hospital in Bilaspur, it said.

To ensure food security, the government has launched the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Shram Ann Yojana, under which workers can avail full meals for just Rs 5.

Currently, 21 such centres are operational in Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Bilaspur, Raigarh, Mahasamund and Surajpur in the first phase, with 24 more centres planned across nine districts in the next phase, it said.

The state government will build "Mor Chinhari Bhawans" in the first phase across five states — Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Gujarat and Maharashtra — where large numbers of migrant workers from Chhattisgarh reside.

A new scheme will soon be launched to provide interest subsidies on loans taken by registered labourers for economic activities.

Labour Welfare Offices are also being established at the divisional level to ensure better implementation and monitoring of welfare schemes.

At least 13 welfare schemes are being run for organised workers and their families, including accident and death assistance, educational scholarships, skill development, free bicycles, free sewing machines, and the Shram Ann Yojana, it said. PTI TKP ARU