National BOCW Conference Scheduled for September 2026 in Mumbai
The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, is organizing a National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) in Mumbai on 11–12 September 2026. The conference will be chaired by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, and attended by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Participants include Labour Ministers and senior officials from States/UTs, Chairpersons and Secretaries of BOCW Welfare Boards, and senior officers from Central and State governments.
The construction sector is identified as one of the largest sources of employment in the country, supporting millions of workers' livelihoods. The conference provides a platform to review the evolving BOCW framework following the implementation of new Labour Codes and to strengthen the functioning of Welfare Boards. Deliberations will cover statutory responsibilities, worker registration, welfare delivery, monitoring and utilization of welfare funds, and opportunities for greater convergence and technology-enabled service delivery.
A key component involves sharing innovative practices and successful interventions by State BOCW Welfare Boards to facilitate cross-learning and identify adaptable approaches for improving welfare measures' reach and effectiveness. The conference will specifically review progress on three major initiatives launched at the November 2025 National Labour Conference in New Delhi: the State BOCW Digital Labour Chowk, Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres, and Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal. These initiatives aim to strengthen employment facilitation, provide dignified worker-centric services, and improve transparency and efficiency in cess collection and monitoring.
Additional agenda items include deliberations on International Labour Mobility Pathways, skilling and employment opportunities, labour statistics, and the labour stack. The overall objective is to build stronger coordination between Centre, States/UTs and BOCW Welfare Boards, identify implementation gaps, and establish priority actions for more effective delivery of social security, welfare and employment opportunities to construction workers.