The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Allied Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Bill, 2024, for providing social security and other benefits of motor vehicle drivers, conductors, cleaners, supervisors, station staff, line checking staff, booking clerks, cash clerks, depot clerks, time-keepers, watchman/attenders, and other unorganised workers engaged in motor transport.
The Bill aims at providing welfare measures to those working in garages, tyre retreading and resoling units, puncture shops, wheel balancing and alignment units, water washing units. The facilities provided would be similar to those provided for construction workers now.
It seeks re-appropriation of funds from the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, 1957, to finance social security and other welfare measures; and constitute a board for disbursement of the funds under schemes. The Bill also encompasses persons working in automobile body building units, tinkering electrical and AC units.
The government will constitute the Karnataka State Motor Transport and Other Allied Workers Social Security and Welfare Board for implementing welfare measures. The Minister for Labour will be chairperson of the Board while the Additional Chief Secretary of the department will be the vice-chairperson.
Five members representing the workers engaged in motor transport and other allied works and five members representing the employers of Motor Transport undertakings and other similar establishments would be members of the Board. The commissioner of the labour department would be the secretary.
How fund accrues
The fund will be created through levy of cess, surcharge and taxation, sums received through Corporate Social Responsibility and grants from the State government.
Every motor transport and other allied workers should register his or her name soon after the Act came into force, the Bill said.
Besides accident benefit to motor transport and other allied workers, the fund would be used for providing educational assistance to the children of deceased workers, maternity benefit, reimbursement/payment of registration fee for Karnataka government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka Pension Scheme and benefits during death, disability and medical reimbursement, the Bill said.
Additional cess
The Assembly passed the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, for levying 5% additional cess on the transport vehicles for the purpose of the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Allied Workers Social Security and Welfare Fund.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy tabled the Bill and said it was introduced to give effect to the amendment made by the Centre in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, and levy life time tax on motor cars, jeeps, omni buses, and private service vehicles which runs on electricity having cost of the vehicle which exceeds ₹25 lakh.
