Various welfare schemes being run by the State Government through Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board have brought a positive change in the lives of lakhs of workers in the state. Many schemes are being implemented by the Board to provide financial assistance to the workers for medical facilities, pension, housing, education and marriage of children etc. About Rs 327 crore has been spent in the state since 1st January, 2018 under these schemes.
bAt present there are 4,02,910 workers are registered in the board out of which 1,71,783 are under MNREGA and 2,31,147 are working in other sectors. 2,74,112 workers have been registered during the tenure of the present government. Various awareness campaigns are also being conducted regularly to motivate the workers for registration, To get registered with the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, the age of the worker should be between 18 to 60 years and he has to produce a certificate of working in the building and other construction related works for at least 90 days in the last 12 months.
Facility of online registration has also been provided by the board on its website bocw.hp.nic.in for the convenience of the workers. The State government has started many new schemes through the board for the welfare of the workers. An assistance amount ranging from Rs. 8400 to Rs.1.20 lakh is being provided every year to the workers for the education of their two children from class one to Ph.D. Under the Beti Ka Janam Uphaar Yojna, an amount of Rs. 51,000 is being provided as FDR on the birth of daughter. An assistance amount of Rs. 20,000 is provided every year for the care of the disabled children of the registered beneficiary. Under the Widow Pension Scheme, an amount of Rs 1500 is being provided every month to the widow of the registered beneficiary. An amount ranging from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 is provided every year to the children of the registered beneficiary for availing hostel facility for pursuing studies.
Thousands of workers across the state have availed the benefits of these schemes so far. These welfare schemes have turned out to be a boon for many needy workers like Gopal Singh of village Dugri of Solan district. Daughter of Gopal Singh secured the top position in class X and XII examinations. She wanted to get the B.A.L.LB degree, but lack of funds was the biggest obstacle in achieving this goal. In such a tough situation, the education assistance scheme of the Board became a boon for Gopal Singh’s daughter. Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board provided assistance of Rs. 1.20 lakh for higher education of his daughter. Similarly, Himachal Pradesh Board provided medical assistance of Rs. one lakh for the treatment of the daughter of Sarfaraz, a resident of Partha Khurd in Solan district. In this way, financial assistance and other benefits are being provided to lakhs of workers through various schemes of the Board.
Under the Marriage Assistance Scheme, an assistance amount of Rs 51,000 is being provided by the Workers Welfare Board. During the last four and a half years, financial assistance of about Rs 77 crore has been provided to 19,037 beneficiaries under this scheme. About 120 crore rupees have been provided to 97,256 beneficiaries under financial assistance for education scheme. Under the Medical Assistance Scheme, about Rs 34 crore has been provided by the board to 2,758 beneficiaries. Apart from this, assistance is also being provided by the Board to the registered workers during various adverse circumstances. During the Covid pandemic, a total assistance of Rs 78.59 crore was provided by the Board to 1,36,613 registered workers in three installments at the rate of Rs. 2,000. Various schemes being implemented by Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board are proving to be a boon for the workers besides bringing a positive change in their socio-economic status.
