A financial safety net for MSME workers: simplified
Govt has implemented few products that benefit the workers of MSMEs if implemented comprehensively.
Recently I had an opportunity to survey the financial safety net implementation by the rural population surrounding an Industrial area, near Bangalore. Many of the members of these households are working or associated with industrial units in that cluster or elsewhere.
In our study, we found that a large section of the households have not subscribed or not even aware of the products despite being widely published by the Govt.
The financial safety net for families- a need felt across more than ever
Every family aspires to secure themselves from the shocks and difficulties of through fair distribution of their earning between savings, risk cover and retirement corpus. The flexibility to do so is very limited if the earning barely covers the living expenses. This situation puts the families into a very vulnerable state and that may act as a deterrent to getting them into activities where the perceived risk to themselves is quite high or they remain alert to risk so much that will lead to lesser productivity from them.
Since their income barely covers the living expenses, Govt has taken many initiatives to supplement these needs by introducing an array of products.
These products are very pertinent for workers in MSMEs. The income level of workers, regular or otherwise, is not very high. These products are made very affordable, meeting their needs.
Financial safetynet –composition:
The financial safety net, we are talking about comprises a few assorted products mainly from Govt sources. In recent times, Govt has made access to avail the products and also to secure the benefits under the products much easier than ever.
These comprise savings, life insurance, health cover, accident cover, pension and skill development. Details as below:
Savings products: Having a bank account is commonplace for employees and it is a good sign. However many of them are just limiting their banking transactions to the savings account and it is no surprise to find some accumulating their hard earning savings in SB account when there are opportunities to maximize their earning even from a scarce amount of savings by opting for products like recurring deposit(RD) and fixed deposits. The spinoff from having an RD account is that it prompts them to adopt a planned approach to save and at the same time maximise the earning.
Term Insurance(PMJJY): Govt has been promoting term insurance of Rs 2 lakhs for an annual payment of Rs 330. It is made available for the people of age group 18-70 years. It is very simple and does not require one to go through any procedure to assess the eligibility.
Accident Insurance(PMSBY): An accident insurance amount of 2 lakhs is available for people for annual premium payment of Rs 12 only. This will help the poor labours to secure the family against accident-related deaths.
Health Cover: To empower poor families against health-related issues. Recently Govt enacted Ayushman Bharat scheme. The coverage is as much as Rs 5 lakhs. This scheme requires one to register and take health card from the nearest Govt hospital at no cost.
Pension products: It has been since a long time that all the citizens are given an opportunity for having their pension account under the National Pension Scheme( Eligible up to 54 years). Thereafter Govt has enacted four new products for the benefit of people in the age group of 18 to 40 years for unorganized and skilled labours. It is called PMSYM( Prime Minister Shram-Yogi Mandhan Yojna) Under this scheme the labours who are not eligible from PF and ESIC can have a pension account with a monthly payment of Rs 55 to 200 depending on their age and will be eligible for a pension of Rs 3000 after 60 years. Under this scheme, the Govt will also contribute an equal amount every month.
Also, those employees who have PF benefit may opt for a pension under Atal Pension Yojna non-subsidised.
Skill Development: Skill makes an individual more valuable for society. It helps one to earn more and to enhance his/her self esteem. It motivates the people to become more productive and he/she can become a source of strength to any organisation. Seeing the skill gap and the industry’s clamouring for support, Govt(state/central) have implemented many schemes to support skill development programmes.
Supporting Employees to become Financially secured- The best CSR initiative for MSMEs:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a new yardstick to evaluate the contribution of an enterprise for the welfare of society. Govt has implemented a law compelling large companies to mandatorily spend on their own to the welfare of the society a portion of the income. However, this is not applicable for MSMEs as they do not have enough financial flexibility to engage in such activities.
It is well said that the best CSR activity for MSMEs is to support their employees. If these MSMEs take initiative to educate and encourage the workers working within their company to take the above social security products, it will improve the goodwill and make employees feel secure. Educating and encouraging these workers to secure themselves under these products does not require any investment. It is the word of encouragement, guidance and follows up will take them to avail these benefits. Some may incentivise in different forms to make them avail these products.
There are benefits for the MSMEs. A financially and socially secured employee makes the working environment secured. Standing as a socially responsible organisation will be further reinforced.
Conclusion:
There are many new financial products from the Govt to help the weaker section of the society to become empowered. These products are also very important for employees of MSMEs. Many of the eligible beneficiaries are not aware of these products. MSMEs may encourage workers to cover themselves under these products and make their life more secured. This will augur well for the organisation and counted as a socially responsible organisation.
