By Thomas Scaria

Bengaluru, Jan 2, 2022: Three women in their early 20s, classmates and close friends, are now busy enrolling unorganized laborers in a federal government project to help the poor in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

“India has no dearth of welfare schemes and policies for the poor, but sadly they don’t reach the target groups,” bemoans Soniya Muniraj, the team leader.

She has teamed up with Prinyanka Shubhakar and Shristhi Sudarshan to promote the federal “e-shram scheme” implemented through the Skills-India network.

“During the coronavirus pandemic we joined some voluntary organizations to distributed kits to migrant laborers. The experience motivated us to continue our services for the poor in our own way,” explained the student of Bachelor of Commerce at Seshadripuram College in Bengaluru, capital of Karnataka state.

Soniya, a native of Karnataka, has alone enrolled more than 200 laborers into the scheme.

“We no longer involve in kits distribution, but spreading awareness about various government schemes and programs, where they can receive their rightful benefits,” Soniya told Matters India.

The e-shram cards is a special identity card issued by the federal government to the unorganized laborers who work as daily wagers, plumbers, electricians, construction workers, migrant workers, housemaids, marginal farmers, or street vendors. The cards guarantee them certain privileges.

A cardholder, according to the scheme, will get an accident death benefit of 200,000 rupees to the families or 100,000 rupees for partial disability. The construction workers who possess the card can get free pass for travel in Bengaluru. Some state governments have announced an incentive 500 rupees for those who register.

The 4.04 billion rupee welfare project of the federal Ministry of Labor is expected to help millions of unskilled workforce receive an identity card, the basic step towards their development, says eshram.gov.in.

Priyanka says although the government launched the scheme in August 2021, many remain unaware of the scheme and its benefits.

“It is hard to convince them sometimes, but once some people register, they motivate others too,” says Priyanka, who has organized several village camps to enroll eligible people in the scheme and issue them the cards.

“Although they can register themselves in the portal, most cannot do it by themselves. That is where we step in and help them,” Priyanka told Matters India.

The three-member team has so far enrolled more than 600 people and issued them membership cards. The 12 digit universal account number, links the beneficiary to various welfare schemes from time to time, she explained.

Shristhi told Matters India that the most fulfilling moments of her life is when she works with the poor for their empowerment.

“The poor are also the citizens of India and they need to have all privileges and rights like other privileged classes of our society,” she adds.

She said they were involved in distribution of ration, food packets and food materials to migrant laborers during the second wave of Covid-19.

“This experience opened our eyes and we continued to get involve with the cause of working for the unorganized and marginal labor class community in Bangalore,” said Shrishthi who now balances her studies and social work.

She said she and the other two accidentally got in touch with the Functional Vocational Training and Research Society (FVTRS), an NGO involved in skills training of the unorganized laborers in the country.

Jimmy Mathew, the manager of the FVTRS, said he was moved by the girls’ passion and commitment in getting involved in social sector. “If more and more students realize their social obligation and come to the field, social reformation can take place,” he told Matters India.

The training Institute that promotes skillnet, a network of unorganized labor in the country, has so far trained over 147,820 youth in various vocational skills and employable areas.

Soniya says that she does not like to involve in mere charity programs among the poor that keep them dependent always. “Instead, I want to fight for their rights and justice,” said the young student who asserted that empowerment programs should go beyond any political or religious goals.