Truckers across India call off indefinite strike after govt agrees to their demands

Lorries across the country went on an indefinite strike on July 20, which led to a spike in the prices of essential commodities.
Truckers across India call off indefinite strike after govt agrees to their demands
Truckers across India call off indefinite strike after govt agrees to their demands
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The lorry strike led by AIMTC (All India Motor Transport Congress) was called off after almost 10 days after the association and the Central government reached an agreement on the issue.

A joint press statement released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the AIMTC said that after several rounds of detailed discussions between the Government of India and the AIMTC, the agitation by AIMTC stands immediately withdrawn.

The statement listed the solutions arrived at to the multiple demands made by the lorry drivers association. One of the main demands of the truckers was the deregulation of the insurance premium by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), to which the IRDAI has agreed to discuss the issue in detail.

“A meeting with the transporters has been scheduled by IRDAI on 28 July, 2018 at 1 pm to discuss the issue,” read the statement.

The government also agreed to put a mechanism in place within six months to ensure seamless movement of lorries across toll plazas. The statement said that this would be done with the help of alternate methods or innovative technologies aimed at reducing manual intervention at toll booths.

“Government will look into the feasibility of extending the coverage of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana to the drivers and the co-workers of commercial vehicles,” said the statement.

The press release also said that the government will explore the possibility of providing the health services under the Employees State Insurance Scheme to the truckers.

The government has also agreed to look into other demands of the truckers, including e-way bill implementation, GST issues and seamless travel across state borders. A high-level committee will be constituted to look into the issues ‘sympathetically’.

Lorries across the country had gone on an indefinite strike from July 20 demanding reduction in fuel prices, toll charges and insurance premium rates.

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