Noida: A group of sanitation workers on Monday protested outside Noida Authority office in Sector 6, alleging that they are being made to pay Rs 5,000 a year for medical insurance. The workers said the Authority had earlier told them it would bear the insurance cost, but has now decided to pay only half the amount, with the remaining Rs 5,000 being deducted from the workers’ salaries.Noida has around 4,800 sanitation workers.Last month, the Authority signed a contract with SBI General Insurance to provide medical insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh annually to workers and up to five dependent family members, against an annual premium of Rs 10,000.Previously, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation had stated that ESI facilities are available only to employees earning up to Rs 21,000 per month. However, following a recent salary revision, sanitation workers’ wages reached this threshold, making them ineligible for ESI and related medical benefits.“There is inflation and a price hike, and we are unable to afford medical services for ourselves and family members. The workers have been demanding medical insurance facilities for a long time. Last month, Noida Authority said that it has decided to provide medical insurance to workers and their family members. However, now the workers are told that of the Rs 10,000 annual premium, Rs 5,000 will be given by Noida and the remaining Rs 5,000 will be deducted from workers’ salaries,” said Vinod Makoda, a sanitation worker.Rana, another worker, said that the workers’ salaries are already low and any deduction under such circumstances would adversely affect them. “We were told that Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 will be deducted from the workers’ salary per month. We are protesting against this move and demand that the entire coverage be borne by Noida,” he said.Noida OSD Kranti Shekhar said that Authority officials are in talks with the workers to resolve their concerns.
