Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Nov 15: In a piece of good news for the state's workforce, the government has launched the 'Shramik Nivas' policy aimed at providing quality housing facilities for workers in close proximity to the industries they work in. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar recently launched the implementation of the new policy.
Sharing details about the initiative, industries minister M B Patil stated that the government's objective is to provide comfortable shelters for hardworking employees. "This will eliminate the need for daily commutes from other towns and thereby increase productivity. Hence, dormitories, as well as one and two-bedroom houses, will be constructed near industries with a large workforce. These will be provided to workers at affordable rates or free of cost," he said.
Patil noted that the state's industrial areas should offer attractive facilities to encourage massive investments. Under the first phase of the Shramik Nivas scheme, 30,000 houses will be constructed.
Detailing the subsidy structure, he said industries providing housing for 100 employees will receive a subsidy of Rs 1 crore. Similarly, providing shelter for 1,000 employees will fetch a subsidy of Rs 10 crore, while housing for 2,500 employees will attract a maximum subsidy of Rs 25 crore. The subsidy amount will be disbursed in three equal instalments over three years, calculated from the day the employees start residing in the facilities. Large-scale industries have been urged to take advantage of this benefit.
Under the Shramik Nivas scheme, industries are permitted to build dormitories with a maximum area of 10 square metres, single-bedroom houses up to 30 square metres, and double-bedroom houses up to 60 square metres. However, it is mandatory for entrepreneurs to construct these facilities within the plots allotted to them by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB).
The scheme aims to provide housing facilities to a maximum of 10,000 workers annually. Any additional requests from industries will be considered in the subsequent year. Minister M B Patil also clarified that only permanent employees of the respective companies are eligible for this benefit, and the scheme does not cover the dependents of the workers.