ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed registration ofall laborers associated with formal and informal sectors in the country sothat their complete record could be available. He said the steps taken forprotecting the rights of labor community should be taken in phases.Chairing a high-level meeting about the steps taken for welfare of laborersin the country, the prime minister said the real challenge wasimplementation of the required laws for protecting the rights of labors andit needed full concentration.
The prime minister said that it was top priority of the government toprotecting the rights of drown trodden sections of the society includinglaborers and domestic workers. He appreciated the steps taken in thisregard by the Punjab government.
The meeting decided that after approval by the prime minister, thegovernment was going to formally launch ‘Ehsas Programme for Labour’ underEhsas Programme of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
The meeting was attended by Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme(BISP) Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistants Syed Zulfikar Bukhari, DrFirdous Ashiq Awan, spokesperson Nadeem Afzal Chan, Special AssistantYousuf Baig Mirza, Zahoor Awan, Majid Aziz, Shaukat Ali Khan, Dr Alia Khan,Dr Laila Shahnaz. Representatives of International Labour Organization,World Bank, Asian Development Ban were also present.
The meeting was told that the Ehasas Programme of the government for socialwelfare of the people was the biggest and a comprehensive programme inwhich a total of 115 social welfare programmes were being set up for poor,widows, orphans, patients, vulnerable people, laborers, peasants, joblessand shelter-less and old people, poor students, women and other weaksegments of the society.The prime minister was told that under the ‘Mazdoor ka Ehsas’ program,special attention was being given to welfare of domestic and overseasPakistani labors associated with various fields.
The prime minister was told that presently no proper and effective systemwas in placed in the country for welfare of labor community associated withvarious formal and informal sectors.
The meeting was told that under the Ehsas Programme for Labour, Ehsas LaborWelfare and Social Protection Experts Group was being set up which wouldensure to present recommendations for welfare of the labor communityworking in various fields.
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The prime minister was told that under the ‘Mazdoor ka Ehsas’ programmeregistration process for labors associated with formal and informal sectorswould be implemented in the next one year which would help in ensuringprovision of pension and other facilities to the labor community.
The meeting was told that Ehsas Labor Welfare and Social Protection ExpertsGroup would identify and remove shortcomings and lacunas in the presentlabor laws so that it could be removed besides removal of corruption,exploitation and other problems in social welfare programmes for laborcommunity could also be removed.
Dr Sania Nishatar told the meeting that on the directives of the primeminister, the number of Community Welfare Attaches, posted abroad at theembassies, was being increased.
She said that offices of Protector of Immigration had also been increasedwhile a detailed pre-departure briefing would be given to the labors goingabroad about the working condition, their rights and other affairs in therequired countries.The meeting was told that a Labor Market Information System was beinginitiated to ensure protection of labor’s rights.
The prime minister was also given a detailed briefing about progress on thelabor laws and the legal and administrative steps for welfare of laborcommunity at the provincial level.
