Jaipur: Silicosis patients demand scheme benefits

Ramesh Garasia, a resident of Bhula village in Pindwara block of Sirohi was in Jaipur on Wednesday, holding a certificate, which can be termed as an assurance of ‘certain nearby death’. Ramesh now 27 years of age, has a body weight of only 32 kg which was around 60 kg 10 years back when he had started work of stone grinding in Pindwara. 

During his work to earn bread for his 10 member family, he got into the clutches of lethal and incurable disease ‘silicosis’. Two years back Pneumoconiosis Board identified him as silicosis patient. 

Ramesh is one of more than 15,000 silicosis patients in 16 districts of the state, waiting for their ‘certain death’, still deprived of the compensation. 

Around 1,000 such silicosis patients gathered at a public hearing held at Shahid Smarak in Jaipur on Wednesday to make their voice heard. 

For these people some demands were raised at the public hearing including that they should be included in list of people with disabilities and should be given disability pension and benefits of other social security schemes like Palanhar, Food Security, Bhamashah Scheme, Health Insurance etc. After the public hearing a delegation led by Nikhil Dey of MKSS met state chief secretary DB Gupta and State Human Right Commission Chairman Prakash Tatia. 

“Gupta has said that at the end of this month a meeting with principal secretaries of departments like mines, labour, health, social justice DOIT and finance will be held with all stakeholders, said Dey.