Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced an enrollment drive to register and revalidate 10 lakh construction workers free of cost across the state. He directed officials to take welfare schemes directly to laborers through special camps in villages and urban areas.
Review Meeting of BOCW Welfare Board
Chairing a review meeting of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers' (BOCW) Welfare Board, the chief minister said the Punjab government is committed to ensuring that every construction worker receives social security benefits, welfare assistance, and opportunities for skill development.
Mann stated, "The Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board has been formed to ensure the welfare, social security, and socio-economic upliftment of construction workers through registration, financial assistance, and implementation of welfare schemes. It is unfortunate that despite the availability of ample funds, welfare schemes for laborers have not achieved the desired success due to long processing times."
Expanding Coverage of Welfare Schemes
Highlighting the need to expand coverage, the chief minister noted, "As of now, 2.21 lakh workers are registered with the BOCW Welfare Board, which is quite low considering the massive construction activities and urbanization taking place across Punjab. To improve registrations, more registration camps will be organized across the state."
Waiver of Registration Fee
The chief minister announced that the Punjab government will remove the registration fee burden on workers during the special campaign to encourage maximum participation. "It has been observed that workers often avoid registration because they are required to deposit Rs 145 as registration fee. To incentivize registration and revalidation, applicants will not be required to deposit this fee during the Mass Registration Campaign. Around 10 lakh workers will be enrolled or revalidated during this campaign, and the Punjab government will bear the financial implication of nearly Rs 15 crore," said Mann.
He added that the government will continue supporting workers even after registration. "The Punjab government will bear the registration fee cost of all workers who do not avail any benefits within a year. The labor department has also been directed to organize special camps in villages during evening hours because laborers return home from work at that time, ensuring maximum registrations."
Improving Facilities at Labour Chowks
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann also directed officials to improve facilities available to laborers at Labour Chowks. "Sheds should be established at Labour Chowks, and drinking water facilities should be provided so that laborers do not face inconvenience while waiting for work," he said.
Skill Development Initiatives
Emphasizing skill development, the chief minister directed the board to share details of 50,000 live registered construction workers with the Punjab Skill Development Mission. "The board should provide data of 50,000 live registered construction workers to the Punjab Skill Development Mission for skill training. The training should be provided only at construction sites, Punjab Skill Development Mission training centers, and camps organized by the BOCW Welfare Board," he said.
He stressed that workers should be trained in specialized fields to improve their skills and earning potential. "Training should be imparted in areas such as masonry, bar bending and fixing, shuttering carpentry, scaffolding, quality assurance, construction painting, construction electrical works, surveying, roads and runway construction, interior and exterior finishes, fabrication, draughting, shuttering carpentry, and other related fields."
Focus on Women Labourers
The chief minister also directed officials to ensure that women laborers benefit from the Punjab government's flagship welfare initiatives. "The board must ensure that women laborers also receive financial assistance under the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna," said CM Mann.
