An Exclusive Interview with Arshid Qadar Bhat

Arif Nabi: Aslamialikum viewers you are watching Jazbaat 24, I am your host Arif Nabi, the government has announced that this year’s holy pilgrimage to Amarnath Yatra will commence from Raksha Bandhan day.

The arrival of pilgrims is expected to boost the economy for the Kashmiris who are directly or indirectly associated with the holy pilgrimage. But several people whose business is related to the Amarnath yatra lack the awareness of certain rules and regulations that are quite vital for enhancing their business. So, to shed light on these guidelines we have here with us Additional Labour Commissioner, Ganderbal Arshid Qadar Bhat.

Arif Nabi: Welcome to the show, Arshid, Sir there are countless people who earn by providing the pilgrims with ponies, labour and selling several items there, so, this year, for these service providers are there any changes in the procedure for getting themselves registered for the services.  

Arshid Qadir Bhat: Actually, my designation is assistant labour commissioner, Srinagar but I have been assigned a duty of Additional commissioner Ganderbal as well. As far as Amarnath Yatra is concerned we have seen that in the last two years no yatra has taken place, but this year we have received the merry news that in 2022 the holy pilgrimage will take place. And it is likely that this year will mark the highest footfall of the yatris. So it is good news for the people who are dependent on the yatra, be it Labourers, Pony and Palanquin providers, all will get ample opportunity to earn their bread and butter. The yatra is resuming after a two years gap, so let me remind you that labourers have to register themselves first in the Labour department.  From April 2020, The department has extended a service for them by setting up an advance camps at Kangan. The camps are established in Veterinary block Ganderbal and Labour Commission office Ganderbal.

There, labourers are provided with forms for registration free of cost.  And I urge all interested labourers to come to these camps and complete the formalities for registration.  As we know the yatra is slated to begin on June 30, and only registered labours will be allowed to work there, be it tent providers or their labourers, registration is mandatory. So, I request them to visit the registration camps and get themselves registered.

They can register themselves in these camps till the end of this month, after that the camps will be shifted to Sonmarg for registration and there too the registration for the labour for yatra can be availed off.  They have to collect the forms from us and after filling them they must hand over them to us.

AN: As we know locals are involved in providing several services to yatris, but may I ask if this registration for labour is open to non-locals as well.

   AQB: As far as the Yatra is concerned, mostly, labours from the Peer Panchal region, Chenab valley, Ramban, Ganderbal Srinagar or Anantnag come forward for work.

 AN: if a labourer is found working there without formal permission, will any action be taken against him?

AQB: Workers without our pass won’t get the entry. This year we will be providing computerized cars to the registered labourers.. And only the cardholders will be allowed to enter and work there. So, I request all the interested workers to secure this card first and then think of working for the yatra.

AN: Yatra will resume after a two years halt. So, should we expect that 2022 will mark the record high footfall of the yatris?

AQB: The expectation is sky-high this year. So once again I requested labourers to come forward for registration so they can benefit from the yatra. We have received a target of providing 23 thousand labourers,( be it Ponyvallas or Palanquin). We are looking forward to registering the target number of workers. Regarding the registration formalities, there are some important points I want to mention. First, interested labourers should undergo police verification. Also, they must carry an Adhar card and three passport size photographs. They are also required to provide health certificate and their bank account details.

AN: Ponnywallas, Pithuwallas and many more are expected to work for the yatris this year, so have you issued any rate list for these services.

AQB: No, the rate list is yet to be finalised. Actually, a team of district administration chalks out the rate list. So whenever it is finalized we will share it.

AN: Is the Labour department going to keep an eye on whether the rules and regulations are being followed even after the yatra is flagged off.

AQB: As you know, even before the commencement of the yatra, we are working to ensure things go smoothly. We have set up camps which will be there till the conclusion of the pilgrimage. And these camps aim to provide assistance to both yatris as well as to labourers.

AN: Is Labour department significantly creating awareness among the labourers about the beneficial schemes provide by the department?

ABQ: The Labour department leaves no stone unturned to disseminate the information about new schemes among the people. the department has marked its presence in almost every nook and corner. Myriad people have benefited from our schemes and you will see in future the number of people benefiting from the schemes will increase.

AN: your department provides labour cards to registered labourers. But if there is a death of labourer, their relatives have to complete formalities and paper works which sometimes can get quite hectic and there are some opportunists who try to mint out money from the people in return for the completion of work. So, in the last two years have your department come up with changes in a procedure that could make things easier.

ABQ: Since 2018, the department is working on shifting most of the facilities from offline to online mode. But some of the schemes are still functional in offline mode. So people must directly contact the department and if there is a complaint of bribery, proper action will be taken against the offender.

AN:   Is there any scheme that has not reached the people yet due to a lack of proper communication?

ABQ: Building and other construction welfare scheme is the biggest scheme our department has provided. So far, we have registered more than 3 lakh people under the scheme. There is another scheme called e shram scheme. Any Labourer, be it a salesman or raidevallas, can get registered under e-shram scheme, provided he doesn’t come under Income tax, provident fund or should not be registered in ESI scheme.

There is one more important scheme, PMSYM, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan, Labourers ageing between 18 to 40 can register themselves in the scheme. But they should also not come under the Income-tax provident fund or ESI scheme. And if their earnings are less than Rs 15000 they are eligible for the scheme. But to avail of the PMSYM scheme labourer ought to contribute in return till they reach the age of 60. For instance, a labourer of 18 years of age must contribute Rs 55 per month till he reaches 60 years of age and after that, he will get 3 thousand rupees as a pension in return. And labourer of 19 years of age needs to 58 rupees till he reaches 60 and a labourer who is 40 years of age must contribute Rs 200 per month for twenty years in order to get pension after 60.  People can benefit from these schemes, so I request them to benefit from them. They can register themselves under these schemes through online mode.

AN: these schemes sound very good. Has your department taken extra efforts to create awareness of these schemes?

AQB: awareness programmes regarding these schemes were organized across India. We have gone to different departments to disseminate the information about the schemes. But people are not very interested in some of these schemes as they are required to contribute to benefit from them. But if we see, Rs 55 is not a very big amount. Paying such a small amount per month will secure them a pension of Rs 3000.

AN: Is there any particular scheme for widows?

AQB: As such, the labour department has no particular scheme for widows, but if there is a widow who is involved in construction work can register herself in our department and she and her children will get benefits from the labour department.

AN: if a labourer registered in the Labour department dies, is there any provision for transfer of his card to his family, say for instance son?

AQB:  our construction scheme involves active workers. In fact, a worker has to come in person and pay Rs 120 yearly. The purpose of this procedure is to ascertain that the worker is alive.  But if such a worker dies, his family will get compensation of Rs 200000 and Rs 5000 funeral rites. As far as the labour card is concerned, the card is non-transferable. It gets deactivated when its holder dies. If the family members of the deceased worker want to secure a labour card they have to register themselves separately.

AN: Sir, let me bring you back to Amarnath Yatra. This year it is said that footfall of 450000 yatris is expected and as you mentioned earlier 23000 labourers will be enrolled, so is there any online facility for the labourers for the registration process

AQB: No, the registration will take place through offline mode only because the procedure for labourers for yatra lasts for 2 3 months only. And also they have to produce police verification and health certificate for which they have to appear in person. So it is better if the labourers come earlier as possible for registration because once the yatra begins, the influx for registration will be high and getting oneself registered will be a bit difficult for them.

AN: Do hotels also come under the umbrella of the labour department?

AQB: Every business unit comes under the labour department. it is mandatory for every business unit to acquire J&K shops and establishment registration. if the functioning of a business unit without the registration becomes an offence.  The registration aims to check the benefits of the workers who are employed in these business units.

AN: when tourists, both yatris and non-yatris, visit Kashmir they face nonuniformity in hotel charges. Some hotels come high charges. Is your department taking steps to curb this nonuniformity of the rate lists

AQB: regulation of rate list does not come under labour department. every department has its domain and our domain entails welfare of labour. Rate lists does come in our domain.

AN: Lastly, regarding the labour for the yatra, what would be your message for the labourers who are interested to get themselves enrolled.

AQB: Labourers are well acquainted with formalities as they have worked with us in the past. all I want to say is that they should come for registration as soon as possible because once the yatra begins, people in thousands will come at a time for registration and then it may not be possible that all interested ones will get registration. So, I request them to approach registration camps as early as possible to ensure their registration.