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Beedi workers have sought an office of the welfare commissioner in Mangalore.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Mr H.V. Anantha Subba Rao, General Secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Karnataka State Committee, said that Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have around five lakh beedi workers.
As of now, the office of welfare commissioner for beedi workers’ welfare fund is located in Bangalore. It will be convenient for beedi workers, if an office of welfare commissioner is established in Mangalore, he said.
Scholarships for students
On other demands, Mr Rao said a majority of the children of beedi workers have not been getting scholarships for the last two years. The office of the welfare commissioner disburses these scholarships.
He said that there is a move to entrust the disbursal of scholarships to the Education Department.
Opposing this, he said it should not be shifted to the Education Department. Instead, the Government should open the offices of welfare commissioner in the areas where there is good concentration of beedi workers.
He said that the delay in instructing schools on scholarships for beedi workers’ children is one of the reasons for the decline in the number of scholarship applications.
He urged the welfare commissioner’s office to take steps to instruct schools at the beginning of June.
Right to Education Act
Stating that there is a move to stop scholarships to students below 14 years, he said the Right to Education Act is cited as the reason for this.
In spite of any free education, the parents will have to bear some minimum expenses on children’s education. In such a situation, it is not proper to stop scholarships to students below 14 years, he said.
Seeking the implementation of their demands, beedi workers affiliated to AITUC will stage protest in front of the office of the deputy commissioner in Mangalore on July 26, Mr Rao said.
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