Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (MS)

Kundapur, Jan 20: Karnataka State Tailors' Association (KSTA) met state chief minister B S Yediyurappa and labour minister Suresh Kumar at Bengaluru and urged them to fulfill the long-standing demands of the stitching fraternity.

Speaking during the meeting, members of the tailors' association said, "From the last 20 years we have been holding peaceful protests and submitting appeals to the government asking for the life security for more than 20 lac men and women, who are associated with the cloth stitiching industry. We request you to fulfill our demands. It is a matter of satisfaction that the central government has brought pension scheme for the tailors under the Pradhanmantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana', but certain minor amendments are required in that.

"Present pension scheme for tailors is meant only for people between the ages of 18 and 40. This should be extended to the age of 55. Now only the central government is giving the contribution. Even the
state government has to give equal funds. Scholarship should be given to the children of labourers working in the stitching industry," he said. 

The delegation, which was led by minister for Muzrai, ports, fisheries and interior transport, Kota Srinivas Poojary and Byndoor BJP president Sadananda Uppinakudru, comprised of KSTA K S Anand, vice-presidents Raghavendra U K and Suresh Salian, secretary B Vasanth, president of Mangaluru unit Prajwal, president of Udupi unit Ramachandra, president of Kundapur unit Chandrashekhar, Madhusudhana Acharya and Kusuma Devadiga.

The delegation has confirmed that CM Yediyurappa, who inspected the demands of the association, has promised to fulfill their demands in the coming budget.