Social Security Schemes with Special Reference to Self Help Groups – An Analysis in Karnataka

Abstract

Social security scheme is an important component of social infrastructure in India as it provides financial protection for the workers and their dependents, old age pensions and maternity schemes. For the welfare of destitute, handicapped and the elderly without support, several social programmes are being implanted. After a few years of preparation for a social security plan in India with some modifications suggested by the International Labour Organization (ILO) experts, promulgated the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) 1948. t has been operative since 1952 and has provided full comprehensive medical care and cash benefits to the insured and restricted medical benefits to their families. However, Karnataka state implemented the ESI scheme only on
27^th July 1958 (ESI, 2003). Concurrently, there were separate schemes for government employees, railway workers and military personnel (Ron, Abel-Smith and Tamburi, 1990). Initially, the statutory and contributory Employees’ State Insurance was applied to non-seasonal power-using factories employing 20 or more workers. Later, it was gradually extended to, namely, by geography, by industry and by wage group. The main schemes are National Social Assistance Programme with full financial support of the Central Government, National Old Age Pension Scheme, National Family Benefit Scheme and National Maternity Scheme.