ISLAMABAD: Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) will deliver health cards to 300,000 labourers at their doorstep, said commissioner PESSI Dr Syed Bilal Haider.

During a meeting with the representatives of All Rawalpindi Restaurant Association (ARRA), Mr Haider said the labourers who were registered with the PESSI would be issued cards after verification of their credentials from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The issue of health card was raised by ARRA general secretary Ch Mohammad Farooq, during a meeting with commissioner PESSI.

ARRA also wrote a letter to PESSI regarding “discriminatory policy towards restaurant employees.”

It said the restaurants deposited monthly contribution to PESSI in lieu of social security benefits for these employees. Most of these contributions remain either unused or under-utilized due to red-tape and complicated, time consuming registration process.

The employees themselves do not bother to avail many of these benefits due to problems with behaviour of the institutional staff or due to painstakingly hard and document laden procedure.

The social security benefits for industrial employees include dower fund scholarships, health cover and death grant.

ARRA claimed that despite the announcement of the prime minister of two months salary grant to the PESSI’s registered employees not a single rupee has so far been disbursed among them.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2021