The government is winding up the operations of five welfare fund boards under the Labour Department and merging them with other welfare fund boards to cut administrative expenses.
A Cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided to merge the Kerala Abkari Workers Welfare Fund Board with the Kerala Toddy Workers Welfare Fund Board and the Kerala Jewellery Workers Welfare Fund Board with the Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishment Workers Welfare Fund Board. The Kerala Small Scale Plantation Workers Welfare Fund Board and the Kerala Reed, Kattuvalli and Pandanus Workers Welfare Fund Board will be merged with the Kerala Labour Welfare Fund Board.
The welfare fund board for beedi and cigar workers will be merged with the Kerala Handloom Workers Welfare Fund Board.
A note issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said most of the welfare fund boards were facing crisis due to high administrative cost and some were on the verge of collapse. The government had accepted the recommendation of a subcommittee headed by the Labour Commissioner to bring down the number of boards from 16 to 11. It said legislation would be enacted to implement the proposal.
The Cabinet also decided to set up an Urban Chair in the Centre for Urban Governance under the Kerala Institute for Local Administration (KILA).
