Telangana state asked to create inclusive cities

The government is planning a comprehensive policy to protect the rights and interests of the unorganized workers in the state.

Hyderabad:  A Catholic institution has joined civil society groups in Telangana state to discuss issues of unorganized workers and press for making its cities "inclusive" for all.

State minister for labor Nayini Narasimha Reddy said at the one-day colloquium on Tuesday that the government is planning a comprehensive policy to protect the rights and interests of the unorganized workers in the state.

He said workers in the unorganized build cities and create wealth for others. He wanted the workers to unite and demand justice from the government. He promised that the government of the newly formed state would have a comprehensive policy to ensure that cities are just and equitable.

The colloquium on "Unorganized Labor and Social Protection: A program for Inclusive Cities in Hyderabad was organized by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Administrative Staff College of India, Action Aid, Montfort Social Institute and other civil society organizations.

It was a pre-event to Metropolis-2014, an international Congress that will attract over 2000 leaders and administrators from cities all over the world to Hyderabad in the second week of October.

Speaking on the occasion, GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar said that the workers in the unorganized sector are ‘drivers’ of any city’s development but are often neglected.

“We need to create a sense of inclusivity among them if cities are to be equitable,” he added.

On the occasion, the city corporation promised to construct shelter homes for over 7,000 people who sleep on the streets in Hyderabad.

Kumar also said that the GHMC will construct shelters with basic amenities for construction laborers who wait at street corners for employment daily.

B. Ashok, commissioner, labor department, said that a Social Security Board for unorganized Workers will be constituted in the state to ensure welfare measures to them.

Gabriel Brother Varghese Theckanath, director of Montfort Social Institute, said that “justice and inclusiveness in terms of allotment of land, resources and budgets for the working classes ought to be a high priority if our cities are to become SMART.”

“Housing needs to become a fundamental right of every citizen, but we are faced with a housing deficit of 2.4 million houses in the country. The poor are the worst victims of the lack of adequate housing,” he added.

He called on the state government to address the issue as a priority.

Press Release