THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government on Wednesday rolled out ‘Aawaz,’ a unique health insurance scheme for migrant labourers in the state. A first-of-its-kind in the country, migrant labourers in the state aged between 18 and 60 will be covered under the scheme.
Health Minister K K Shylaja issued the first identity card to a migrant labourer at a function held here, that was attended by Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan, Industries Minister A C Moideen and Local Self-Government Minister K T Jaleel.
Under the scheme, individual migrant labourers will be provided free treatment worth Rs 15,000 from government hospitals in the state as well as empanelled private hospitals. Along with health insurance, accident coverage of Rs 2 lakh will also be provided.
Ramakrishnan said the government would always be with migrant labourers for ensuring their safety and welfare. The benefits of the scheme would be made available from January 2018 itself. On the inauguration day itself, about one lakh migrant labourers were registered for the scheme in various districts, he said.
Stating that the state was for providing all facilities to migrant labourers, Ramakrishnan said the first housing project for them at Kanjikode in Palakkad was almost complete and would be opened in January. Similar facilities would be established in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
He also said that all the labourers in the state were safe and asked them not to fall into the trap of scare campaigns.
Issuing the card, Shylaja said the Social Justice Department was planning to set up crushers for migrant labourers at the work site itself. As a pilot project, it would be implemented in Ernakulam district, she said.