Dubai: More than 15 Indian blue collar workers on Friday signed up for the pension and insurance scheme launched by the government of India.
“This has been the largest number of signed application forms that we have received so far from one single labour accommodation,” said Sanjay Joshi, senior manager, zonal marketing department, Bank of Baroda.
The workers gathered in large numbers at the multi-purpose hall of their labour accommodation located in Dubai Investment Park to interact and receive further clarifications on the scheme from visiting officials.
“The workers raised good questions. It is encouraging to see that so many of them had turned up on their day off,” said Joshi.
Joshi and his team members have launched a series of awareness campaigns on the scheme, which is known as Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana. It was initiated by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India in April 2012 for 5 million overseas Indian workers holding Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) category passports. In other words, those who have not passed grade 10 will be eligible to reap the benefits of the scheme. Only those who are over 18 years of age and below 50 are eligible for the scheme.
The objective is to encourage and enable overseas Indian workers by making a government contribution to save for their return and resettlement as well as old age and obtain a life insurance cover against natural death during the period of coverage.
Workers in UAE who plan to subscribe to this scheme in the UAE are required to pay a minimum of Dh30 to Dh40 in monthly instalments.
Leaflets that described the various features of the scheme were also distributed to the workers.
“Our job is to make them understand that the government of India has their best interests at heart. They should think of contributing towards the pension and insurance scheme that will yield them regular returns in their retirement,” Joshi said.
He said that even the government is contributing towards the scheme per person per annum by giving Rs2,900 (Dh175) for male subscriber of the scheme. In the case of female subscribers, the amount is raised to Rs3,900 (Dh235.37). These contributions are made by the government in the initial five years for each person.
“According to Indian missions there are an estimated two million Indians living in the UAE. Now, we have to identify those with ECR category passports. We get in touch with the human resource and labour accommodation managers to get those figures,” he said.
A group of workers who had signed up for the scheme told Gulf News that they have hardly saved anything for their future and are quite afraid when they think of retirement.
41-year-old Sathinder Singh, an Indian blue collar worker who has been in the UAE for 21 years, works as a carpenter and earns a salary of Dh1,700. He said: “I have signed up for the scheme because I had not saved anything for my old age. Part of what I earn is spent over here while the rest goes for the family’s upkeep in India. I have nothing left. But by signing up for the scheme I am determined to make my future safe.”
Another worker, Balbir Singh, who has been in the UAE for 20 years, said that he is disappointed at being unable to sign up for the scheme.
“In a couple of years I will be 50 years old. What is the point of filling up the pension and insurance form now? I am a bit upset but, no problem, I will figure out something for my future,” he said.
