The Labour Department is likely to make biometric health card a requisite for guest labourers to work under various employers in the district. Job providers will be given specific instructions in this regard on completion of the ongoing card distribution process under the Awaz special health insurance scheme.
So far, around 19,000 guest labourers in Kozhikode district have secured the biometric card that can be used as a legitimate identity proof for any future requirement. The practice of appointing guest labourers without verifying their identity will come to a stop with the popularisation of the card.
An assistant labour officer in the district says the database of the Labour Department is very comprehensive now and it features the details of around two lakh guest labourers in Kerala. In Kozhikode district alone, their number will come to around 25,000 with the completion of the enrolment process by April and it is the first time that the government has such concrete data for identification purpose, he adds.
Other than offering health insurance benefits and accident coverage, the database prepared at the time of enrolment will serve as a strong and reliable digital repository for the government and various investigation agencies to keep an eye on suspicious members in the community. At present, no such strong database is available in the State to track persons with a criminal background or quickly identify persons in case of suspicious circumstances.
No denial of jobs
Labour Department officials clarify that no one will be denied jobs in the name of not possessing the biometric card. A system will slowly evolve in the State where those who possess the cards get preference and the rest voluntarily come forward to secure it for proving their credibility, they explain.
The health card, as promised by the government, offers free treatment worth ₹15,000 a year for the holder, besides a death insurance coverage of ₹2 lakh. Job providers in the private sector hesitate to offer even basic medical support to these labourers. Many are spending a portion of their income to meet medical expenses and the cost of unexpected hospitalisation in the event of accidents at worksites. As a relief to them, cashless hospitalisation too is on the cards, by empanelling private hospitals in the insurance network.
