Mamata Banerjee announces Samajik Mukti card for unorganised workers

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today announced that her government would issue 'Samajik Mukti' (Social Freedom) cards to unorganised sector workers which will help them avail all social benefits instead of using different cards.

"The name of this card will be Samajik Mukti card. It will be distributed from April. This will provide you the oxygen to live," the chief minister said at a gathering of workers of the unorganised sector.

Workers possessing the card would be able to use it to avail all social benefits like hospitalisation, children's education, pension and accidental death cover instead of using separate cards for different benefits, she said.

"It will be a unique card. It will be made on the lines of a smart card," she said, adding that it would be distributed from the block headquarters instead of the district.

Pointing out that those not working in the government sector often worried about their future, she said, "let me tell you we will help the private sector workers also."

Banerjee said that her government would now provide Rs 20,000 as its share of housebuilding grant to unorganised sector workers from the present Rs 10,000. Hospitalisation reimbursement has been increased to Rs 10,000 from Rs 5,000.

She also announced that the workers from now on would get double the amount under various social benefit schemes than what they were getting earlier.

Earlier, Banerjee handed over social benefit cheques to a number of construction, transport, tea garden and bidi workers.

The chief minister also felicitated five girls, Bina Kalindi, Sunita Mahato, Afsana Khatun, Sangita Bauri and Mukti Majhi who had won bravery award from President Pratibha Patil for successfully resisting their parents' attempts to marry them off.