Samajik Suraksha Scheme, Benefits, Eligibility, Application

The Samajik Suraksha Scheme was first set up in 2017 to provide social security to unorganized workers in West Bengal. One of the objectives of this scheme is to provide social security and improve the standard of living of lakhs of working families in the state.

The scheme has been renamed as ‘Bina Mulya Samajik Suraksha Yojana‘ or BM-SSY from 1st April 2020. This article provides detailed information about what is Samajik Suraksha Yojana, benefits, status check, list etc.

What is Samajik Suraksha Scheme?

This Samajik Suraksha Scheme of the Government of West Bengal is a Samajik Suraksha Scheme for self-employed and unorganized sector workers. About 93% of the working people in the state are workers in this unorganized sector, which includes daily wage workers, agricultural labourers, domestic workers, street vendors and artisans.

These workers are usually engaged in low-wage or unorganized sector work without any contract or job security, and many are found to be deprived of basic security benefits such as various health insurances, pensions and disability coverages. The main objective of this scheme is to provide a basic social security to all these workers.

Several initiatives are taken under this Samajik Suraksha Scheme like provident fund for workers, health and family welfare scheme, death benefit and aid for disabled, financial assistance in education etc.

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Details

A brief description of the West Bengal Samajik Suraksha Scheme is given below:

Samajik Suraksha Scheme benefits

The following 46 unorganized industry workers and 15 self-employed workers along with construction and transport workers have been sanctioned for availing benefits under BM-SSY respectively:-

• Automobile repair garage (with less than 20 employees)
• Bakeries (with less than 20 employees)
• Beedi making workers
• Boatman Service
• Bone MIll
• Book binding
• Brass vessel
• Cashew processing
• Ceramics
• Cinema
• Clinical Nursing Homes/Private Hospitals
• Duties of copy writing in Koir Shilpa Court/Registration Office
• Cottage / village based cottage industries (boat making, ice, bangle making, fire work, chalk mill, kite and kite stick making, pottery work, paddy cutting, embroidery and lace chikan work)
• Dal mill
• Decoration
• Foot wear (leather, rubber, plastic)
• Forestry and timber operations
• Garment making
• Hand-loom
• Hosiery
• Hotel and Restaurant
• LC.D.S., I.P.P.-VlII and C.U.D.P.-IlI
• Iron foundry
• Khadi
• Lakh industries (having less than 20 employees)
• Leather and leather products
• Linesman engaged in delivery of bakery products
• Medical plants other than cinchona
• Oil Mill
• Production of paper board and straw board
• Plastic industry
• Power loom
• Printing press
• Rice Mill with Husking Mill
• Rubber and rubber products
• Sawmill
• Security agencies
• Sericulture
• Shops (less than 20 employees) and establishments (less than 20 employees)
• Silk printing
• Butcher
• Small Scale Engineering Unit
• Small chemical units
• Tailoring Industry (less than 20 employees)
• Copy typing work

The following 15 self-employed workers have been placed under this scheme:

• Amins (Land surveyor)
• Nanny / Attendant employed in hospital nursing homes by patients
• Barber / Beautician
• The Carpenter
• Cobbler / Shoemaker
• Cycle rickshaw and van drivers
• The Housekeeper
• The Fishermen
• Fishermen are gold and silversmiths
• Head-load workers and workers engaged in loading and unloading
• Idol makers
• Railway hawkers
• Street hawkers including newspaper hawkers
• Waste Picker
• Workers of NGOs and persons engaged in West Bengal welfare schemes

Education:

With a view to ensuring that the children of unorganized sector workers are not deprived of education due to economic stress, the following financial assistance is provided for higher education for up to 2 children of the beneficiary:

Besides, a one-time grant of ₹25,000/- will be given to the girl if she is unmarried after graduation or equivalent education. Maximum two daughters of the beneficiary are eligible for this grant.

Eligibility:

• Children of beneficiaries registered under the Samajik Suraksha Scheme will be given grant for at least one year of higher education.
• Must be a student studying in any educational institution recognized by Central Government or State Government.
• Students who have received grants in the field of education from the ‘Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme’ or any scholarship, stipend or any other source are not eligible for benefits under this scheme.

Provident Fund

The state government introduced PF for unorganized workers in 2001, where workers get a lump sum after the age of 60 years. The fund was initially required to deposit a meager contribution of ₹25/- from the beneficiaries and ₹30/- from the government.

But with effect from 1st April 2020 under ‘Bina Mulya Samajik Suraksha Yojana’ the State Government pays ₹55/- per month (₹25/- + ₹30/-) to the beneficiary and State grant, with interest on retirement or death of the beneficiary. The total amount is paid.

At present this facility is made available to all unorganized workers, construction workers and transport workers under this scheme.

Eligibility:

• Must be a registered beneficiary of Samajik Suraksha Scheme
• Not covered under EPF and MP Act, 1952

Health and Family Welfare

Any beneficiary or family members will get financial assistance of ₹60,000/- per annum in case of any type of surgery under Health and Family Welfare Scheme under Samajik Suraksha Scheme. This money can be used for any type of clinical test, medicine and hospitalization expenses of the patient.

Eligibility:

• Beneficiary must be registered in Samajik Suraksha Scheme
• Beneficiary should not be covered under ESI Act, 1948 or Department of Health and Family Welfare, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) or Swasthya Sathi Scheme

Death Benefit and Disability

In case of premature death of unorganized sector workers due to disease or accident, the remaining members of the family may face special hardship, the following financial assistance is provided under the Samajik Suraksha Scheme:

• ₹2,00,000/- in case of death of beneficiary due to any accident
• ₹2,00,000/- in case of irreparable loss of both eyes of the beneficiary or loss of both arms or legs or loss of vision in one eye along with loss of arms or legs
• ₹1,00,000/- in case of loss of sight in one eye, or loss of use of one arm or leg
• ₹50,000/- in case of natural death of the beneficiary or 40% disability of the beneficiary

However, no assistance will be allowed in the following circumstances viz.-

• Deliberate self-harm, suicide or attempted suicide, insanity or if the member is impaired by alcohol or drugs
• Damaged as a result of riot, commotion or any kind of running injury

Eligibility:

• Beneficiary must be registered in Samajik Suraksha Scheme
• The disability certificate should be issued by a government hospital

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Eligibility:

The following qualifications are required for availing benefits under the Samajik Suraksha Scheme:

• Applicant must be resident of West Bengal
• Applicant age should be between 18 to 60 years
• Applicant’s family income should not exceed ₹6,500/- per month excluding construction and transport workers
• There is no ceiling on family income for construction and transport workers

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Required Documents

The following documents are required for applying to Samajik Suraksha Scheme:

• Aadhaar/Voter Card
• Passport size photo
• Bank passbook

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Form

To apply for BM-SSY you can apply offline by filling the Samajik Suraksha Yojana form by visiting the nearest door govt camp or BDO or municipality office.

• Samajik Suraksha Yojana English Form
• Samajik Suraksha Yojana Bengali Form

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Application

You have to go to the official portal bmssy.wblabour.gov.in to apply online for BM-SSY and register first, then you can apply online by filling the form, but the new registration is currently closed due to maintenance work on the portal.

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Communication

You can contact toll free help line number 1800-103-0009 of Labor Commissionerate, Government of West Bengal for information regarding this scheme.

Samajik Suraksha Scheme Related Queries (FAQs):