For the first time in India the eastern state of West Bengal will be issuing "social security" cards to 3 million workers in the unorganized sector across the state to ensure social benefits, a state government official said Wednesday.

The cards will be named as "Samajik Mukti" (Social Liberation) cards and will be on the lines of a smart card and will help the workers to obtain benefits of hospitalization, accidental death cover, pension, and children's education.

Indranil Sengupta, joint secretary of state labor department said, "we plan to start issuing of these cards in a month's time."

In a meeting of unorganized workers laborers, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said that what the Communists did not do for the unorganized workers in the state for 34 years when they were in power she would do within a year.

The state government is also planning to offer online services to unorganized sector workers. Centres will be opened in all districts for such workers to use the facilities.