Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently led the 22nd meeting of the Jammu & Kashmir Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (JKBOCWWB) to assess and advance worker welfare initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir.
Expanding Welfare for Construction Workers
The Chief Minister commended the Board’s success in extending welfare coverage to over 2.85 lakh active construction workers. He emphasized the need for transparent, timely, and targeted delivery of benefits and urged officials to broaden outreach and simplify application procedures to ensure all eligible workers receive support.
Abdullah also advocated for a more inclusive definition of “construction worker” to encompass all vulnerable and unorganized laborers. He encouraged the Board to explore policies that maximize coverage and enhance financial security for workers, aligning with national best practices.
Key Achievements and Digital Reforms
Secretary Labour & Employment, Kumar Rajiv Ranjan, highlighted the Board’s adherence to the BOCW (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. Under this mandate, the Board provides various benefits, including:
- Ex-gratia relief for accidental deaths
- Financial support for permanent and temporary disabilities
- Educational assistance for workers’ children
- One-time meritorious scholarships of ₹50,000 for students achieving 90% or higher in Class 10 and 12
- Marriage and maternity assistance
- Aid for chronic illnesses
- Funeral expense coverage
To enhance transparency and efficiency, the Board has implemented significant digital reforms, such as:
- 100% Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for all financial assistance
- Aadhaar integration to prevent fraudulent registrations
- An online portal for registration and renewals
- OTP-based authentication and SMS alerts to keep workers informed
The Board’s income is generated through cess collections and accrued interest, with a current corpus of ₹1082.58 crore held in fixed deposits and savings accounts.
Approved Initiatives and Future Plans
During the meeting, the Board approved several key initiatives:
- Scheme-wise budget proposals for fiscal years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
- Transfer of ₹17.24 crore to the Union Territory of Ladakh.
- Audited accounts for FY 2022–23 and 2023–24, to be forwarded for certification.
- Integration of the Board’s initiatives with broader social security and financial inclusion schemes.
- Issuance of smart cards to all registered workers, with a budget of ₹10 crore.
- Sanction of ₹60 crore for providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and tools to construction workers, particularly in rural areas.
- Short-term training programs for 10,000 workers under NSDC norms, with a budget of ₹10 crore.
- Revision of the meritorious scholarship framework to include merit-based slabs for top-performing students across all districts, while maintaining a minimum 90% cutoff.
- A directive for the concerned committee to finalize recruitment rules for staff regularization within six months.
Chief Minister Abdullah concluded by reaffirming the government’s dedication to ensuring welfare benefits reach every deserving worker. He called for forward-looking reforms, robust monitoring, and inclusive policymaking tailored to the needs of construction workers, especially those in remote and underserved areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
