Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said the workforce is integral to nation-building and that the welfare and social security of workers are fundamental to India’s development.
Addressing the inaugural session of the National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) in Mumbai, Mandaviya called for greater coordination between the Centre and states to strengthen welfare measures for construction workers and ensure the optimum utilisation of BOCW funds.
The two-day conference, organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in collaboration with the Maharashtra government, brought together the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and MSME Shobha Karandlaje, Labour Ministers of participating states and Union Territories, senior officials, representatives of BOCW Welfare Boards and other stakeholders.
Mandaviya emphasised the need for states to share best practices and said the labour ecosystem must continuously evolve in response to changing economic and technological conditions. He stressed that the Centre and states should remain aligned in their vision and policies for the holistic welfare of construction workers.
He also called for measures to provide workers with greater dignity, honour and self-respect, including exploring the possibility of pension support for workers.
Focus on international labour mobility
The Union Minister highlighted the growing global demand for skilled and semi-skilled workers and called for greater focus on preparing India’s workforce to take advantage of emerging international opportunities.
He urged stakeholders to deliberate on international labour mobility, noting its importance for economic growth through remittances as well as for meeting the aspirations of the country’s youth.
Mandaviya called for coordinated efforts by the Centre and states to create a comprehensive platform for international labour mobility, supported by appropriate financial and digital infrastructure. Such a framework, he said, would help Indian workers access global opportunities while strengthening India’s credibility internationally.
Over 7 crore construction workers, BOCW cess corpus at Rs 77,000 crore
Labour and Employment Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar said the number of construction workers in the country stands at more than 7 crore, while the BOCW cess corpus available across the country is around Rs 77,000 crore.
He said the conference provided an opportunity for states to share best practices and engage with industry partners.
Kumar also highlighted provisions in the Labour Codes aimed at strengthening social protection and welfare measures for BOCW workers. He stressed that welfare initiatives would be effective only when dignity of labour remains central to the welfare agenda.
He called for a holistic welfare model for construction workers that takes into account the mobility inherent in their work. Welfare facilities, he said, should be designed so that workers can access them easily wherever their employment takes them.
Digital initiatives launched for construction workers
A Compendium of Initiatives for Building and Other Construction Workers was unveiled during the inaugural session. This was followed by presentations on best practices adopted by states and Union Territories.
Maharashtra presented its Education Initiative, Haryana showcased its Beneficiary Verification Exercise, while Uttarakhand presented its Health Scheme.
The first day also featured sessions on three national initiatives aimed at strengthening digital and facilitation mechanisms for construction workers – the State BOCW Digital Labour Chowk (DLC), Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres (LCFCs) and the Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal.
Chhattisgarh presented its Digital Labour Chowk, Tamil Nadu showcased its Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres and Kerala presented its Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal.
Several states and Union Territories, including Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Manipur, are taking forward digital and worker-centric initiatives.
Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Manipur launched Online BOCW Cess Collection Portals, while Bihar and West Bengal unveiled Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres aimed at improving access to employment and welfare services and strengthening transparency in cess management.
MoS Karandlaje stresses safety and social security
In her concluding remarks, MoS Karandlaje called for concerted efforts to ensure the registration of all workers and establishments and effective utilisation of BOCW cess funds.
She urged state governments to strengthen cess collection from construction establishments and ensure timely and transparent utilisation of accumulated funds for workers’ welfare.
Karandlaje said BOCW funds could be used for areas including pension and social security for ageing workers, primary education support for workers’ children and healthcare coverage.
She also stressed the need for greater attention to worker safety at construction sites and basic amenities such as toilets and sanitation facilities, creches for children of women workers and housing support to ensure dignified working and living conditions.
States urged to assess cess utilisation
At the close of the first day, Mandaviya urged state governments to undertake a detailed assessment of the current utilisation of BOCW cess funds, identify gaps and explore new avenues for their effective utilisation, keeping in view the long-term welfare and social security of workers.
He also called on states to assess the impact of the Labour Codes after one year of implementation and identify areas requiring more effective execution. He suggested workshops and orientation programmes for labour law practitioners to facilitate implementation of the Codes.
Highlighting the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY), Mandaviya urged state governments to organise focused workshops and engage with industry and other stakeholders to create greater awareness about the scheme.
He said such efforts would help ensure that eligible new entrants to the workforce receive the benefits of the scheme and contribute to the expansion of formal employment and social security coverage.
The conference will continue on Saturday with sessions on the roles and responsibilities of BOCW Welfare Boards in light of the new Labour Codes, skilling and employment, the construction sector, Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) and Labour Stack.
