Haryana's Labour Minister, Anil Vij, has sounded the alarm on a massive alleged scam worth approximately Rs 1,500 crore, involving the fraudulent registration of construction workers to siphon off benefits from government welfare schemes. The minister has formally requested Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to order a comprehensive investigation into the deep-rooted anomalies.
Massive Irregularities Uncovered in Preliminary Probe
The scandal came to light after Minister Vij initiated a preliminary inquiry within his department, revealing gross irregularities across at least six districts: Hisar, Jind, Sirsa, Faridabad, Kaithal, and Bhiwani. Following a departmental meeting where these issues were flagged, district-level verification committees were formed about four months ago across all districts in Haryana.
These committees, comprising labour department officers and three other local officials, were tasked with the physical verification of online work slips issued to construction workers between August 2023 and March 2025. The verification process scrutinized the actual existence of worksites, worker participation, employer details, and involved local inquiries and field inspections.
Shocking Scale of Fraud: 5.46 Lakh Fake Work Slips
The findings from 13 districts where verification is complete are staggering. Out of 5,99,758 work slips examined, only 53,249 were found to be valid. A shocking 5,46,509 work slips were declared illegal. Similarly, from a total of 221,517 worker registrations, merely 14,240 were deemed eligible, while 1,93,756 registrations were found to be fake.
The 13 districts where 100% verification is complete are: Rewari, Nuh (Mewat), Mahendragarh, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Palwal, Panipat, Rohtak, Sonipat, Karnal, Panchkula, Sirsa, and Kaithal. The process is ongoing in the remaining districts.
"Outright Loot": Ineligible Beneficiaries and Government Loss
Minister Vij did not mince words, calling the scam an "outright loot." He revealed that in many instances, entire villages were falsely registered with fabricated work slips to allow ineligible individuals to claim benefits. With an average worker receiving benefits up to Rs 2.5 lakh through various schemes, the cumulative financial loss to the state exchequer runs into hundreds of crores.
"Those who are not eligible are availing benefits of the schemes. This is outright loot…," Vij stated in his official communication on Monday, December 29, 2025. He assured that there would be no compromise on corruption and strict action would be taken against the guilty.
During the investigation period, several measures were implemented, including the suspension of RTS (Right to Service) timelines, instructions to Saral centres to not accept new applications, and issuing necessary information to all grievance redressal platforms.
The minister also clarified that already approved pension schemes have not been stopped, and critical assistance related to deaths, accidents, and funerals for genuine workers is being provided on a priority basis.
Extensive Welfare Benefits at Stake
The scale of the fraud is magnified by the wide array of lucrative benefits meant for legitimately registered construction workers. These include:
- Maternity benefit of Rs 36,000 and paternity benefit of Rs 21,000.
- Educational support, scholarships, and full reimbursement for technical education for workers' children.
- Marriage assistance, medical aid, housing loans, and accident compensation.
- Pensions (old-age, widow, family, disability) ranging from Rs 1,750 to Rs 3,500 per month.
- Financial incentives for scooters, laptops, tools, and pilgrimages.
- Compensation of up to Rs 5.15 lakh for accidental death at the workplace.
Eligibility for these benefits is strictly contingent upon proper registration, which requires verification of a worker having completed a minimum of 90 days of work. The current scam blatantly bypassed these safeguards, leading to the massive diversion of funds meant for the state's labour force.
