New Delhi, 16 September 2014: A meeting of the Central Advisory Committee for Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare was held under the Chairmanship of Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Labour & Employment, Mines and Steel, here today. The meeting was attended by Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Vishnu Deo Sai, Member of Parliament Prahlad Singh Patel, as well as representatives of the Central Trade Unions and employers’ organisations in the construction sector.
Tomar remarked that collection and utilization of BOCW welfare cess by the states needs substantial improvement. He elaborated, “An amount of Rs. 14099 crore has been collected as cess, out of which only Rs. 2382 crore has been spent for the welfare of construction workers. Some states have achieved high level of utilization of fund, like Kerela (93%), Chhattisgarh (54%) and Tamil Nadu (43%), Madhya Pradesh (40%), but other states are lagging behind. They need to work effectively in this regard for ensuring welfare of workers. The state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have shown commendable performance in registering the workers under the scheme for welfare measures.”
The meeting discussed proposed amendments to the Building & Other Construction Workers Act, 1996 and Rules. Mr. Tomar called for improved Cess collection, registration of workers as well as implementation of schemes for the welfare of construction workers. It was decided to institute a system of awards for recognition of State Welfare Boards that had done excellent work. A decision was taken that all construction workers should be mandatorily enrolled in the RSBY, and the workers should be supported in opening Savings Bank Account and their Annual Health Check-up should be mandatorily conducted.
The Committee also decided to set up a sub-committee to examine in detail the recommendations for amendment of Acts and Rules and to suggest better implementation of schemes for welfare of construction workers.
