Focus: GS-II Social Justice
Why in news?
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour has recommended that the government introduce a social security number for migrant workers, especially those working in the unorganised sectors which are beyond the purview of the labour laws.
The Rationale Behind the recommendation
- Such a number is essential to avert situations like the one during the extended lockdown when several lakh workers had to walk back to their homes as they were shut out of employment overnight.
- The members felt that the Aadhaar number alone doesn’t work. A social security number will not only help in mapping the number of migrant workers and their migration patterns.
- The Labour Ministry was unable to give any concrete figures on number of migrant workers.
Detailed records
- The panel has recommended that both the State of origin and State where the worker has migrated to should have a record.
- They also pointed out that the government’s Social Security Code Bill 2019, which is under the committee’s consideration provides for a social security fund.
- But there are no specific details in the legislation as to who will contribute to the fund and how will it be utilised.
What is Social Security?
Social security is “any government system that provides monetary assistance to people with an inadequate or no income”.
It refers to the action programs of an organization intended:
- to promote the welfare of the population through assistance measures guaranteeing access to sufficient resources for food and shelter and
- to promote health and well-being for the population at large and potentially vulnerable segments such as children, the elderly, the sick and the unemployed.
Services providing social security are often called social services.
-Source: The Hindu
