Shri Bandaru Dattatraya, the Minister of State(IC) for Labour and Employment has urged to all the Chief Ministers and LGs to ensure compliance regarding social security coverage of outsourced staff working in the Government Departments as well as other Public Sector Undertakings, State Cooperatives and other bodies. The Chief Secretary and the Labour Secretary of the respective state be asked to have a meeting of all the Departments and other Public Sector Institutions in this regard so that every employee gets social security benefits. The State administration may associate Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner-in-charge of the State in this regard, the Minister added.
In a letter written today to all the CMs and LGs,the Minister said that National Human Rights Commission incidentally is also monitoring the implementation as the social security is considered as a human right of an individual.
It has been observed that various Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, State Cooperatives and other State run bodies working in the State are increasingly employing a large number of staff on outsourcing basis. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has reported that a significant number of such employees are not getting any social security benefits. Neither such employees are covered by the General Provident Fund Scheme of the States or Centre nor are they covered under the provisions of Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (henceforth called the Act). This is violation of the social security rights of such employees, the Minister added.
The Central Provident Fund Commissioner will also be getting in touch with the Chief Secretaries in this regard.