MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)
(a): The number of construction workers registered with the State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Boards under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, State-wise including Maharashtra is annexed (Annexure-I).
(b): As per information received from the State Governments,Rs. 2859.86 Crore, that is 17.63 per cent, has been spent for the welfare of the construction workers out of the total cess amounting to Rs. 16214.51 Crore collected till 31.12.2014.
(c): Under the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act, 1996, a cess @ 1% of the construction cost is collected by the State governments and given to the respective State Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Boards for meeting the expenses on welfare of construction workers. As per the information received from State governments, a statement indicating the amount of cess collected and amount spent during the last three years and current year is annexed (Annexure-II).
(d) & (e): The responsibility of collecting cess and its utilization for welfare of workers lies with the respective State governments and State Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Boards.
The Central Government has been issuing instructions to the State governments and State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Boards for taking steps to accelerate registration of construction workers, collection and utilization of cess.
The Central Government has been issuing directions to the State Governments and their Boards for providing proper social security coverage to the buildings and other construction workers. Such directions under Section 60 of the Act have been issued on 27.09.2010, 12.07.2013, 27.02.2014 and 16.10.2014, requiring the States inter-alia, to mandatorily provide welfare schemes for the workers covering education assistance, pension for persons not able to work due to old age/disability, medical insurance, assistance for purchase of tools, skill upgradation, maternity benefits, grant for repairs and construction of houses, death benefits, accident benefits, and funeral assistance.
Moreover, Government has enacted the Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 which lists out ten social security schemes such as:
1. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme -by Ministry of Rural Development.
2. National Family Benefit Scheme- by Ministry of Rural Development.
3. Janani Suraksha Yojana -by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
4. Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme -by Ministry of Textiles.
5. Handicraft Artisans’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme- by Ministry of Textiles.
6. Pension to Master Craft persons -by Ministry of Textiles.
7.National Scheme for Welfare of Fishermen and Training and Extension- by Ministry of Agriculture.
8. Janshree Bima Yojana – by Ministry of Finance.
9. Aam Admi Bima Yojana -by Ministry of Finance.
10. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana -by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Besides, Ministry of Finance also implements the Swavalamban Pension Scheme for unorganized workers through the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority.
All these schemes together take care of the social security and welfare needs of the workers in the unorganised sector including the building and other construction workers.
