In a bid to support the construction workers of Delhi, the Kejriwal government has identified a series of measures aimed at improving the lives and welfare of these workers.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed the labour department to reach out to over 13 lakh construction workers of Delhi and offer them free bus passes after proper registration and verification with the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board. The CM has also directed the department to assess the possibility of getting group life insurance for construction workers, similar to that provided for lawyers.
Speaking on the occasion, Kejriwal emphasised that the labour department should make positive and effective use of the funds so that all the registered workers can get full benefit of their policies. As part of the efforts to extend maximum support to the labour force, Kejriwal has urged the department to speed up the registration of workers under various schemes. The registrations of 13.4 lakh workers under Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board will be renewed this month onwards.
While assessing tax collection initiatives and the utilisation of resources, the CM directed the officials to address some major issues he had identified. First, that the money collected by the department doesn’t sit there passively and is utilised effectively. Then, he directed the officials to formulate a plan to ensure effective utilisation of department funds within one week.
The officials then explained the working of the Delhi Building And Other Construction Workers Act, 1996 and its corresponding Rules. 13.4 lakh workers are registered with the Delhi Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. These workers will be up for renewal in April. Out of this around 5.36 lakh are present at work in the state at any given point of time.
To this the CM said that the definition of a Construction Worker is very vast and plumbers, carpenters and electricians and the like are also covered under the head. He said that if the schemes are publicised properly then almost 25-30 lakh workers will be registered with the board.
The CM further noted that about 23.5 lakh workers registered with the Centre’s e-shram portal, but they get no benefits there. “We have made so many schemes for our workers, but many don’t come forward. We should try to get the workers to register under our schemes to provide them with maximum benefits. Another issue is that when workers do register, they sometimes don’t get benefits as there’s no verification,” Kejriwal said.
Further while reviewing labour pension schemes, the CM asked the department to take out data for pensioners above the age of 60 years. He recommended the department to identify those who are 60 years and above, and those who have been engaged in construction work and said, “Such beneficiaries should be identified and given the benefit of the better schemes available.” He asked the department to work on certain modalities to ensure that the extent of the pension scheme covers as many beneficiaries as possible and also ensure that no duplicacy takes place therein. The CM further directed officers to explore the possibility of providing subsidised housing to the workers registered with the board.