Kerala: Law hits wards of cashew workers

KOLLAM: The children of cashew workers who seek admissions to higher courses,  including MBBS, have been hit hard by an amendment to the ESI norms brought in by the central government. These children have 20 percent reservations at the all-India level under the ESI quota. But the amendment has mandated that the children will be eligible only if the parents have worked for a minimum of 174 days a year for a period of five years.

"The norms imposed by the centre are not feasible in the case of cashew workers as the industry is facing a crisis. The firms, including public sector companies, cannot ensure 174 working days a year. The cashew corporation has filed a petition on the issue with the Kerala High Court," Mr S. Jayamohan, chairman, Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation, told DC. As a result of this amendment, some 15 students, children of cashew workers of KSCDC and private cashew factories, have been denied admissions to higher courses this academic year.  

The majority of cashew workers across the state are ESI beneficiaries. A total of 379 seats are reserved for their children at the all-India level. "The students handed over a petition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kollam on Tuesday. Those who qualified in the NEET examination are also affected owing to the amendment. The corporation will meet the court expenses seeking justice for these students," Mr.  Jayamohan added.

During the last academic year, the corporation had intervened by filing cases on behalf of eligible candidates to get admissions under the ESI quota. The students were then denied admissions, including for MBBS, citing shortage of working days of their parents.     The cashew sector, which is a seasonal industry, cannot offer jobs to the employees consistently throughout a year which makes such norms impractical.