Karachi, In a push to enhance the welfare of laborers across the province, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has instructed the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) to hasten the issuance of Benazir Mazdoor Cards, which will provide additional support and incentives to workers beyond their regular entitlements.
According to Chief Minister Sindh, the directive aims to facilitate the distribution of varied support packages to workers, including health benefits, education grants, and marriage assistance, as well as small loans for starting businesses. This initiative, strongly backed by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was discussed in a meeting with Minister of Labour Shahid Thahim, Secretary of Finance Fayaz Jatoi, and other officials. The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of these efforts in improving the livelihoods of laborers.
The meeting revealed that approximately 800,000 workers in Sindh are targeted for the Benazir Mazdoor Card, with an initial phase to issue 625,000 cards. So far, NADRA, collaborating with SESSI, has issued 150,000 cards, and an additional 250,000 are expected to be distributed by the end of June. The Chief Minister also ordered the Labour Department to coordinate with NADRA to expedite this process, underlining that any delay would unjustly deprive workers of their entitled benefits.
Further details provided during the meeting highlighted the operational status of 54 registration sites at various service locations, including medical facilities where SESSI is conducting biometric verifications of workers and their dependents. NADRA has also committed to conducting capacity-building workshops for SESSI officials and has supplied hardware to support registration efforts in new sites like Mirpurkhas and the Clifton/Defence area in Karachi.
The Chief Minister has directed the Labour Department to develop a comprehensive employee data system based on CNIC numbers, which will serve as the foundational identifier for all laborer data and the distribution of the Benazir Mazdoor Card.