Srinaagar: Labour Department, J&K Wednesday launched a special drive across the UT to facilitate the registration of truck drivers on the e-shram Portal.

The initiative was taken on the directions of Labour Commissioner, J&K Charandeep Singh, and aims at safeguarding the rights and promoting welfare of the truck drivers. The registration cum awareness camps were set up along the National Highway, Railway Stations, Transport Yards, Mandies, Union offices and other locations and CSCs across each district.

The truck drivers are an important component of the country’s labour force. Majority of them, however, do not get social security benefits and face many challenges. In order to protect their rights, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued an advisory to protect Human Rights of Truck drivers. The advisory underscored the critical role of truck drivers in the logistics and transportation sector and the steps to be taken by the Government for their overall wellbeing including their registration on the e-shram Portal.

The e-Shram portal is the national database of unorganised workers. A unique Twelve (12) digit Universal Account Number (UAN) is uniquely assigned to each unorganized worker after registration on e-Shram portal. UAN number is a permanent number i.e. once assigned, it will remain unchanged for the worker’s lifetime.

The registration on the e-Shram Portal will facilitate the Government in ensuring that unorganized worker including truck drivers can avail benefits of social security schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PM-JJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha BimaYojana (PM-SBY), Old age Protection under Pradhan MantriShram Yogi Mann Dhan (PM-SYM) and other welfare measures meant for the workers including during any emergency or pandemic like situations.

Till date, over 21,000 truck drivers belonging to J&K have registered on the e-shram Portal and the registration cum awareness drive shall continue to facilitate registration of the remaining truck drivers.

Labour Commissioner, J&K has urged the Truck drivers to pro-actively register themselves on the e-shram Portal along with their co-drivers and helpers.

Reader correspondent