UDUPI: Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad on Friday said that he will urge Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to levy a cess of Rs 1 per litre on petrol and diesel to create a dedicated fund for unorganised sector workers, primarily to cater to their healthcare needs.
Appealing to MLAs cutting across party lines to press for this, Lad said the proposal could yield about Rs 2,500 crore annually for the Labour Department.
“This will help us issue a health card that covers hospital bills up to Rs 15 lakh for 1.3 crore workers and their families,” Lad said. He called the scheme a first-of-its-kind effort in the country for workers outside the organised sector, and said past governments had not addressed their health security. If approved, the health card could be rolled out in three to four months, he added. Lad said compensation norms for accidental deaths of unorganised workers need urgent revision, noting that the current Rs 1 lakh relief is “meagre”.
On the welfare of gig workers, Lad said the state has passed the Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill and is now framing rules. Once notified, a 1-2 per cent platform-transaction fee will be collected to fund benefits for gig workers, he said. He also added that the Karnataka Cine and Cultural Activists (Welfare) Act, 2024, was passed to extend welfare coverage to makeup artists, stunt performers, daily-wage earners, spot boys, and others.