Karnataka Launches Shramik Niwas Policy for Industrial Workers Housing

Karnataka has launched the Shramik Niwas policy to provide affordable housing for manufacturing workers. The scheme offers subsidies up to Rs 25 crore to industries building on-site dormitories and homes, aiming to reduce commuting times.

Karnataka Launches Shramik Niwas Policy for Industrial Workers Housing

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 14 (ANI): The Karnataka Government has introduced the ‘Shramik Niwas’ policy to provide quality housing close to workplaces for employees engaged in the manufacturing sector, state Industries Minister M B Patil has said. Speaking about the initiative unveiled by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday (November 12), Patil said, “The government aims to provide comfortable housing for workers engaged in labour-intensive jobs. This will spare them the daily inconvenience of commuting from different towns and help improve productivity. Accordingly, dormitories, one-bedroom houses and two-bedroom houses will be constructed close to industries that employ large numbers of workers. These facilities will be made available either free of cost or at affordable rents.”

“We want industrial areas in the state to have attractive facilities that can support large-scale investments. Under the Shramik Niwas Scheme, 30,000 housing units will be constructed in the first phase. A subsidy of Rs 1 crore will be provided to accommodate 100 employees. Similarly, a subsidy of Rs 10 crore will be given for housing 1,000 employees, while the maximum subsidy of Rs 25 crore will be available for providing accommodation to 2,500 workers. Large industries should make good use of this scheme,” he said.

The Shramik Niwas Scheme is an innovative initiative. Under the scheme, industries can construct three types of accommodation: dormitories with a maximum area of 10 sq. m, one-bedroom houses with an area of up to 30 sq. m, and two-bedroom houses with an area of up to 60 sq. m. Industries are required to construct these housing facilities within the plots allotted to them by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), the minister explained. The dormitories will be equipped with beds, tables, cupboards and lockers, along with a common kitchen and toilets. The one-bedroom and two-bedroom houses will have a living room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet. Water and electricity will be supplied at the rates applicable to industries. The subsidy will be disbursed in three equal annual instalments over three years, beginning from the date on which employees start occupying the houses, he added.

“Our target is to provide housing facilities to a maximum of 10,000 workers every year under this scheme. Requests for accommodating additional workers will be considered in the following year. Only regular employees of companies will be eligible for the benefit. Dependants of workers will not be covered under the scheme. A company can receive a maximum subsidy of Rs 25 crore,” he said. “Workers are an integral part of industries. It is our sincere desire to ensure that those who work hard have a comfortable place to live. Providing housing facilities close to workplaces will eliminate unnecessary commuting by workers and improve industrial productivity. This, in turn, will benefit the state’s economy. With this objective, we have introduced the Shramik Niwas Scheme,” Patil noted.