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A fully networked healthcare system accessible from anywhere using a unique identification is among the recommendations made by a One-Man Commission for Labour appointed on behalf of the Central Advisory Contract Labour Board under the Union Ministry of Labour.
CV Ananda Bose, the One-Man Commission, told BusinessLine here that the online healthcare system does not involve setting up of new institutions or creation of fresh infrastructure but will take just networking of available infrastructure, he said.
Networking of infrastructure
“What we have recommended is one that takes care of the interest of the entire workforce for the country. All existing institutions such as hospitals, clinics, labs, and paramedics can be networked, and some agency in the public sector can coordinate the work. It’s an online medical assistance for everyone,” Ananda Bose said.
If a worker has any problem anywhere at the worksite or elsewhere, all that will be needed is login with a unique ID and place a request for assistance.
The Commission has also proposed a scheme for assisted living. “Maybe after 60 or 70 years, you may not have a particular disease, but you need somebody’s help to move about. All these things are covered in the scheme and still it is not funded by the Budget,” explains Ananda Bose.
Not funded by Budget
“Most recommendations that I’ve made is built on an insurance plank. One-third of the premium is paid by the workers, one-third by the State government and one third by the Centre. In the organised sector, the employer chips in, instead of the Centre,” he said.
Ananda Bose said the first thing the Commission had suggested was the need for setting up a National Registry of Labour complete with a unique ID and skill mapping. One nation, one ration card was another recommendation, given that migrant labour had difficulty accessing their due. The Commission itself was set up in the background of exodus of migrant workers following the world’s largest lockdown.
Assured basic income
Another major recommendation by the Commission was an assured basic income for labour including direct payment if there is loss of livelihood, he said.
Labour Authority of India
The Commission also recommended the setting up of a Labour Authority of India. “For instance, Hudco is the implementing agency in the housing sector. Likewise, the Sports Authority of India or the Airports Authority of India. But here, it had boiled down to just workers and the government.”
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