BENGALURU: With the Covid-19 crisis and the fallout of lockdown rendering workers, especially those in the unorganised sector, vulnerable, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has suggested a campaign to register such workers.
In a review meeting on Thursday, Yediyurappa directed the department to begin a campaign to register all the unorganised sector workers in the state. Currently, the department has data for only 89,000 such workers registered with the welfare board. While the government has found it hassle-free to provide monetary relief to migrant workers and construction workers registered under the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, not much has been done to address the concerns of workers in the unorganised sector.
“House-helps, gardeners, carpenters and barbers have been hit hard and since they are not registered with the government, help hasn’t reached them. We will begin a campaign to register all the workers in the unorganised sector to protect them in the future,” Labour Minister Arabail Shivaram Hebbar said.
Officials said 12.40 lakh construction workers have been given Rs 5,000 each from the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board so far.