Mangaluru: In a significant development, a proposal to provide health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh to contract workers employed at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and their families has received approval.The decision was taken at a meeting held at the official office of Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta in Mangaluru on Thursday. The health insurance scheme is expected to benefit more than 2,000 contract workers at MRPL and their families, strengthening their access to healthcare and financial security.The demand for health insurance coverage for MRPL contract workers had been pending for the past eight years. A meeting was held last year at the deputy commissioner’s office in the presence of MP Capt Brijesh Chowta and Moodubidire MLA Umanath Kotian, during which the need to provide health insurance to contract workers was discussed. The meeting also discussed facilities for women contract workers employed at MRPL. Approval was given to provide separate toilets and restrooms for women workers, marking a step towards ensuring better workplace infrastructure and working conditions.BJP MLA Bharath Shetty, additional deputy commissioner Raju K, senior MRPL officials and representatives of contract workers’ unions attended the meeting.Speaking after the meeting, Chowta said he had decided to work towards resolving the contract workers’ issues as soon as they were brought to his attention. “This is a historic step. As soon as the problems faced by MRPL contract workers were brought to my notice, I decided to work towards addressing them. I thank the senior officials of MRPL, other officials and elected representatives of the region for their cooperation in this regard,” he said.
