In a proactive stride towards bolstering the welfare of unorganized workers, the Odisha Government, on August 2nd, has broadened the scope of the Social Security Scheme, now encompassing an additional 50 categories of workers under the umbrella of the Odisha Unorganized Worker’s Social Security Board (OUWSSB).
Currently, the OUWSSB extends its coverage to merely 10 categories of workers. The initial phase of this expansion will encompass professions such as street vendors, small traders, domestic workers, rickshaw pullers, auto drivers, cobblers, agricultural and forest workers, newspaper hawkers, and sanitation workers. Subsequently, the coverage will be extended to include tailors, salon workers, laborers, railway potters, restaurant workers, vegetable vendors, band party members, plantation workers, photographers, videographers, assistants in grocery shops, delivery personnel, and meat vendors.
In a noteworthy provision, registered workers who meet with fatal accidents while on duty will now ensure their bereaved families receive financial assistance from the government. This move underscores the state’s commitment to the well-being of its workforce.
Moreover, the Odisha Government has revised the aid quantum extended to unorganized workers. In cases of the demise of a worker, the assistance amount has been elevated from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh. Similarly, for natural deaths, the support amount has been increased from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh, signifying the government’s dedication to enhancing the social security net.
The Odisha Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Board (OUWSSB) was initially constituted on December 22nd, 2011, under the aegis of the Labor and Employees’ State Insurance Department, Odisha. The board’s prime objective revolves around supervising the registration of unorganized workers as beneficiaries and extending vital social security benefits to this segment of the workforce. A testament to its significance, the board was subsequently reconstituted on August 14th, 2019, further underscoring the state’s unwavering commitment to the welfare of its labor force.