Bengaluru: As many as 15,812 contractors and 3,81,831 contract workers so far have registered on Indian Railways’ Shramik Kalyan e-application. This was developed and launched on October 1, 2018.
It is to be noted that the e-application ensures compliance with the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act and also ensures that contractual workers of Indian Railways get their rightful due.
Under this scheme, contractors must regularly upload wage payment data on the e-application. What this does is that it helps the Railways, which is the principal employer, to keep an eye over wages disbursed by contractors to contract workers.
A release noted that over ₹3,495 crore has been disbursed as wages and about six crore man-days have been registered on the portal across Indian Railways. All public sector units working under the Ministry of Railways are also using this e-application.
The portal enables all contractors of Railways to register themselves and subsequently add work orders issued by different Railway units.
Here is a note on the payment of bills
It is to be noted that the contractors create profile of each contract worker engaged for the work. They update the wages provided to him/her on a regular basis. There are checks in the portal to ensure that wages paid by the contractors conform with the minimum wages fixed by the government, the statement added.
Railway authorities, before passing the contractors’ bills, have to check whether contract workers’ wage data have been uploaded by the contractor or not. For ensuring compliance, necessary changes have also been made in the contract conditions.
Provision is available in the e-application to generate an identity (card/number) for the contract worker and also send text messages from time to time about wages paid, and contribution made to the Employees Provident Fund and Employees State Insurance Corporation, it said.