LAHORE: The Punjab government has ‘failed’ to fulfil its promise of launching “Punjab Mazdoor Card” to 1.2 million registered labourers across the province.

Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) has announced plans to launch the labour card after opening accounts of 1.2 million workers with the help of the Bank of Punjab for the first time to ensure timely payment of financial benefits.

The labourers working against minimum wages were registered to provide them with ATM-based debit card and mobile vaults and it would give benefits such as concession of five to 45 per cent at more than 150 outlets (grocery, clothing etc.) to raise minimum wages close to the living wages.

The workers were being paid financial benefits under the social security at their homes through the PESSI Cash Benefit mobile app within 10 days.

Govt had set December 2021 deadline for issuance of cards

The government also pledges to give other benefits, including 23 hospitals, 250 medical stores, student scholarships, maternity allowance, marriage and death grants, sickness benefits, disability pension and unemployment allowance through the card. The Mazdoor card would allow labourers to draw payment of salary through bank account and it would help ensure the minimum wage.

The government had set December 2021 deadline for issuance of the Mazdoor card but it was not issued to any labourer till to date [April 9].

Labour leader Ghulam Haider told Dawn that the government had just registered the labourers and they were not given the Mazdoor cards.

He said the government had only made an announcement of providing the cards but no worker was given the card and yet the minimum wage was also not implemented after registration of the workers.

He said the workers were also not receiving health facilities as the cards were not issued to them and there was a lengthy process to avail the facility. “The labourers would have to suffer to get medical and other social security facilities,” he said.

PESSI Commissioner Bilal Haider told Dawn that as many as 30,000 cards were received and they were planning to hold a distribution ceremony.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was to distribute the cards on March 28 but the ceremony could not be held due to cancellation of the visit. “The ceremony was not held due to the recent political turmoil in the country in the backdrop of no-confidence motion,” he said.

Mr Haider said they would distribute the first batch [of cards] among the labourers in a week or two. “The hand-made card is still active and labourers are getting medical facilities on the card but they could not avail concession on it,” he said.

Haider said the concession would be available on the Mazdoor card. “A second batch of 300,000 cards was also completed and its shipment would reach soon.”

He said they would complete the distribution by the end of June and workers would get a discount of 5 to 45pc on more than 150 outlets.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2022