KARACHI: The Benazir Mazdoor Card (BMC) will provide health insurance to employees, and facility of education for children in any private school on merit will also be provided.
This was stated by Sindh Minister for Labour Saeed Ghani during a meeting at the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI). He said the Benazir Mazdoor Card has a transparent system in which all money will be transferred directly to the account and it will also be used as an ATM.
He said that we will consult the industrialists to eliminate the amount of contribution of SESSI according to the number of employees and come up with a separate formula so that the system can be simplified and the employees can get convenience.
He said each department has its rules and procedures therefore, they conduct separate inspections, so we are working to prepare a consolidated law. He said when the available data of SESSI was verified for Benazir Mazdoor card, 40 percent of the cards turned out fake.
However, now by making the system transparent, data is being generated by NADRA for all employees without discrimination.
Saeed Ghani said earlier the children of labourers were given cash for school uniforms and shoes, but now the money of Rupees 6 thousand per child will be transferred directly to each labourer’s Benazir Mazdoor Card.
Similarly, children of labourers will also be able to get admission to good private schools on merit, all the expenses of which will be borne by the government. He said that Sindh has the most employees and labour laws, and Sindh is also the province that gives the most rights.
The provincial minister said the insurance which is being brought for the workers will provide much more coverage than the SESSI, while personally consulting the doctors has also included the treatment of more diseases.
Saeed Ghani said that the industrialists of Karachi played an exemplary role in helping the flood victims.
The Chief Minister of Sindh and other ministers can gather on one platform and make joint efforts for the development of the city.
He said regarding Karachi, it is said that it does not get any funds, whereas in reality 125 billion rupees were spent on development projects in Karachi and 36 billion rupees were given to the hospitals of Karachi in non-developmental expenses, which help in free medical facilities for Karachiites.
Saeed Ghani said that I am a supporter of a strong local government system and this system works under a government all over the world.
Local bodies cannot be given powers beyond their capacity. He said that if the industry will develop so is the employees because labour class and industry are both directly related to each other.
KATI President Faraz-ur-Rahman while welcoming the provincial minister said that KATI is the largest industrial area of Pakistan in which more than 1.5 million employees are working. Due to the economic situation of the country and rising inflation, the working class is facing difficulties.
Inflation has broken the backbone of people. Due to the increase in the cost of production, a large number of industries are closing down which is increasing unemployment.
Complaints have been received from the industrialists that the SESSI cards are fake, based on which the workers get jobs in the factories and blackmail the industrialists to get their interests. President KATI said that to create job opportunities in the country, the government must cooperate with the industry, and promote industrialization by reducing production costs and inflation, which will increase job opportunities.
Faraz-ur-Rahman said that the neighbouring countries have gone ahead with the promotion of entrepreneurship in the era of IT, we also have to provide facilities to our entrepreneurs, similarly, the country will be able to develop economically only with the promotion of small and medium industries.
Zubair Chhaya, CEO of KITE Limited, said that the world-renowned industry in the Korangi Industrial Area, which employs 27,000 people and has an export of more than $40 million, has been blackmailed in which the Labour Department has played an excellent role.
He said that the Local Body Department, DMC, KMC, KDA, Water and Sewerage Board, SBCA and other departments work under the Sindh government but the situation in the city is not good. After a long time, delighted to see European standard bus service started in Karachi, but there is a fear that these buses will not be able to run on the dilapidated roads of Karachi.
Zubair Chhaya said that the government should immediately prepare separate and world-class roads for buses so that this asset can be preserved. He said that the project of the Yellow Line from Korangi to Numaish is going to start soon, for which it is recommended that its route should be developed on the Central Island, reducing the roads and developing the route will increase the traffic problems.
He said there should not be 5 underground stations for Yellow Line because the condition of underground stations in the rain is in front of everyone.
Chairman of the Standing Committee and former president Zahid Saeed said the CM Sindh gave 105 crore rupees to KITE Limited for the development of roads, and the sewage system of Korangi Industrial Area, this money was used for development works for 4 years including causeway. While more projects are needed for which we have proposed Sindh government an estimate of 2.5 billion rupees.
KITE Ltd projects save 30 percent of the money as compared to government contractors.
He said that 10 to 15 departments in Karachi conduct individual audits and inspections due to which the industrialists are facing problems. The government should prepare a consolidated law for industries through which any industry should be audited for three years.
He said that Saeed Ghani helped in preparing a liaison committee under the chairmanship of the Sindh chief minister at the request of the industrialists of Karachi, a meeting of this committee was also held which is now inactive. Zahid Saeed said that if the Liaison Committee becomes active, the problems of industrial areas will be reduced to a great extent.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022