THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Dhanbad, Nov 2: The Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh (RCMS), the coal workers’ organisation affiliated with the Congress Party, has urged Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy to increase the gratuity limit for coal miners from ₹20 lakh to ₹50 lakh.
In a formal letter submitted on Sunday, A.K. Jha, General Secretary of RCMU (INTUC-affiliated), stated that if an immediate increase to ₹50 lakh is not feasible, the ministry should at least revise the limit to ₹25 lakh — the same amount implemented by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
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Jha further noted that Jay Mangal Singh alias Anup Singh (MLA), President of RCMS and the Indian National Mine Workers’ Federation, has already written to the Union Minister of Coal and Mines, the Prime Minister, and the Chairman of Coal India Limited (CIL) on the same matter. “We urge the government to take immediate action on this just and long-pending demand,” he said.
The RCMS leader also raised concerns about the extensive outsourcing within Coal India Limited (CIL). He alleged that many outsourced firms are violating the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) guidelines and operational directives for personal gain. Such practices, he warned, go against the core mission of coal nationalisation and undermine the welfare and safety of miners.
