The Hindu : Priority for social security: Kalam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2003

National

National

Priority for social security: Kalam

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB. 25. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today said providing social security to the organised and unorganised sectors would be the priority of the Government despite liberalisation. He called upon people to strive towards transforming India into a developed nation by 2020.

Launching the National Social Security Number scheme, initiated by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), he said the Government would have to follow an already available roadmap if it were to raise 260 million people above the poverty line. The minimum wages had been increased and the recommendations of the second National Labour Commission were being discussed to formulate an umbrella legislation to provide social security to the unorganised sector, he said.

Suggesting that electronics, garments and textiles were the areas where India needed to do much, Dr. Kalam said it was necessary to provide a healthy working environment and efficient management to bring out the best from employees. He praised the EPFO for its role in building savings that ensured a good standard of living for the beneficiaries even after retirement.

Dr. Kalam presented Social Security Number (SSN) to two employees, one being the oldest and the other the youngest. He also released a souvenir to mark the golden jubilee of the organisation.

The SSN will be a unique permanent number given to an individual on the basis of a Permanent Account Number (PAN) that can be accessed from anywhere in the country. The system also seeks to reduce the claim-settlement time to 2-3 days from about a month. All EPF members will be given the SSN within this year.

The Union Labour Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, said social security would help remove child labour which was a major concern for the Government, because poverty drove children away from schools.

At present, only 3.5 crore workers of the 40 crores were entitled to the benefits of the EPF. ``We have classified 122 areas in the organised and unorganised sectors to bring the poorest of the poor under the security cover with an aim to remove poverty."

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