The Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board, chaired by Nardev Singh Kanwar, approved an annual budget of Rs. 211.47 crore for the financial year 2025-26 during its 54th Board of Directors meeting held today. The budget aims to strengthen welfare measures for construction workers across the state.
Out of the total, Rs. 105 crore has been earmarked for various social welfare schemes benefiting registered workers. Emphasizing the importance of skill development, the Board has allocated Rs. 5 crore for training programmes for registered beneficiaries and their dependents, aimed at enhancing employability and creating better job opportunities.
The Board also approved funding for Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) initiatives to raise awareness about welfare schemes and entitlements among workers. In a major administrative move, the headquarters of the Board will be shifted from the Old SDM Office to the new under-construction building at the Bus Stand, Hamirpur.
To strengthen outreach and facilitation, the Board sanctioned the engagement of 100 “Shramik Mitra” on an outsourced basis. Additionally, all eligible beneficiaries will now be linked with the HIMCARE health scheme to ensure access to quality healthcare. The Board also approved the integration of pension schemes, including Old Age, Widow, Disability, and the Girl Childbirth Pension Scheme, with ESOMSA for better implementation and transparency.
Chairman Kanwar underscored the need to expedite e-KYC, physical verification, and timely disposal of claims for registered workers to ensure efficient service delivery.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
