Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar at the Etikoppaka toy stall at a Swadesi Crafts Mela in Visakhapatnam on Monday. more-in The task of identifying the 40 crore unorganised workers and giving them a permanent number to extend welfare schemes will be completed in the next six months, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar has said. The government was endeavouring to work out a scheme for them since they did not have ESI, PF, gratuity or maternity leave and did not come under the Workmen Compensation and Industrial Disputes Act, Mr. Gangwar said, speaking at the valedictory of a crafts mela. The four-day mela was organised by Centre for Bharatiya Management Development (CBMD) and Visakha Integrated Social Organisations’ Association (VISA), an umbrella organisation of NGOs, at the AU Engineering College Grounds, in coordination with KVIC, Coir Board and Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). In the unorganised sector beedi and mining and others, workers could not derive the full benefit of the cess collected in the earlier regime, the Minister pointed out. But they now came under GST and it would benefit them more, he said. ESI hospital Mr. Gangwar said the land was handed over by the State government for the proposed ESI hospital in Visakhapatnam on December 22. He announced that it would be upgraded to 500 beds and work would begin in March during his next visit to the city. CBMD founder and BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Reddy wanted the support to handlooms and handicrafts to be taken ahead by organising fashion shows bringing together fashion institutes and students so that artisans get direct benefit in one or two years. MP K. Haribabu said the household activities at one point of time in the past became commercial and needed to be supported as it had become a means of self-employment.

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