May 16, 2023: The Kerala government on May 15, 2023, launched a welfare fund board for the workers registered for the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The Welfare Fund Board for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers would facilitate the NREGA workers to get a monthly pension from the board once they turn 60, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said launching the initiative.
Kerala takes another remarkable step to empower workers by launching India’s first welfare fund exclusively for MGNREGS and AUEGS schemes. It will ensure pensions, medical assistance, and family pensions for registered workers while extending educational aid to their children.
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) May 15, 2023
Source: Twitter feed of Pinarayi Vijayan
Formed under the provisions of the Kerala Employment Guarantee Workers’ Welfare Fund Act, 2021, the board will also provide registered workers financial assistance for medical treatment, education, marriage, etc., from the board. To enjoy these benefits, workers have to pay Rs 50 as a contribution to the fund. The government will also contribute an equal amount. Those who have paid the contributions for 10 or more years, their families will get the benefits in case of beneficiary’s death.
A total of 27 lakh people in Kerala are registered under the Centrally sponsored NREGA scheme. The government’s flagship rural employment scheme provides the guarantee of, at least, 100 days of work in a financial year to the unskilled rural workforce in India.
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