National Conference on Building and Construction Workers Welfare
The Ministry of Labour & Employment, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, organized a two-day National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) in Mumbai, chaired by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. The conference was attended by Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, Labour Ministers from participating States/UTs, senior officials, and representatives of State BOCW Welfare Boards.
Dr. Mandaviya emphasized that Shram Shakti (labor power) is fundamental to national development and stressed the importance of social security and welfare for the workforce. He called for optimum utilization of BOCW funds and sharing of best practices among states. The Minister highlighted the need to explore measures providing workers with greater dignity, including pension support, and emphasized preparing India's workforce for growing global opportunities in skilled and semi-skilled labor.
A key focus was on international labor mobility, with Dr. Mandaviya calling for coordinated efforts between Centre and States to create a comprehensive platform supported by financial and digital infrastructure to help Indian workers access global opportunities while enhancing India's credibility internationally.
Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Secretary of Labour & Employment, revealed significant data points: India has over 7 crore construction workers and a BOCW cess corpus of approximately ₹77,000 crores. He emphasized that welfare initiatives must consider the mobility of construction workers and ensure facilities are easily accessible wherever they work.
Digital Initiatives and State Best Practices
The conference featured the launch of several digital initiatives: Digital Labour Chowk (presented by Chhattisgarh), Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres (presented by Tamil Nadu), and Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal (presented by Keralam). Multiple states including Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Manipur are implementing these digital worker-centric initiatives.
Specific state launches included Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Manipur launching Online BOCW Cess Collection Portals, while Bihar and West Bengal unveiled Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres to strengthen access to employment and welfare services.
State best practices presented included Maharashtra's Education Initiative, Haryana's Beneficiary Verification Exercise, and Uttarakhand's Health Scheme. A Compendium of Initiatives for Building and Other Construction Workers was unveiled during the inaugural session.
Welfare Priorities and Implementation Focus
Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje emphasized the need for registering all workers and establishments, strengthening cess collection, and ensuring transparent utilization of accumulated funds. She identified key utilization areas: pension and social security for aging workers, primary education support for workers' children, and healthcare coverage. She also stressed worker safety, basic amenities including toilets and sanitation facilities, creches for children of women workers, and housing support.
Dr. Mandaviya urged State Governments to conduct detailed assessments of current cess fund utilization, identify gaps, and explore new avenues for effective utilization focusing on long-term welfare and social security. He called for comprehensive assessment of Labour Codes implementation after one year and identified need for workshops for labor law practitioners.
The conference highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) for promoting employment and expanding social security coverage for new workforce entrants, with states urged to conduct focused workshops with industry stakeholders.
The conference continues with sessions on BOCW Welfare Boards' roles under new Labour Codes, skilling and employment, construction sector, Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), and Labour Stack.