ISLAMABAD, June 29: The government has decided to increase pension of disabled industrial workers by 53 per cent which will cost an additional expenditure of Rs5.45 million to the national exchequer.

Sources in ministry of labour, manpower and oversees Pakistanis told this reporter that the workers were demanding an increase in their disable pension for the last few years as the prices of daily-use items have witnessed enormous increase against the level of salaries.

The Punjab labour department has increased the disabled industrial workers’ pension from Rs100 to Rs630, the sources said.

They said, under the relief package prepared for the workers, the labour department had fulfilled the long-standing demand of increase in travel, sickness allowance and disable pension for the workers.

Construction of new labour colonies and schools for the industrial workers’ children and a number of new development projects are under way to cater to the needs of the workers, they added.