CAG audit exposes gaps in welfare of construction workers

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India tabled in the Assembly on Monday has uncovered serious lapses in the implementation of welfare measures for building and other construction workers (BOCW) in Delhi.

The audit, titled ‘Welfare of Building and Other Construction Workers’, highlights widespread irregularities in registration, data maintenance, disbursement of benefits and enforcement of statutory provisions for the welfare of construction workers between 2019-20 and 2022-23.

The report states that the Delhi Government lacked reliable data on the actual number of BOC workers in the city. Although the board claimed to have registered 6.96 lakh workers, it could only provide complete data for 1.98 lakh.

Even within that subset, there were anomalies, with 1.19 lakh workers linked to 2.38 lakh images — suggesting multiple images per worker.

In a sample audit of South and North West districts, 97 private establishments that had paid the mandatory BOCW Welfare Cess were not registered as required under the law.

An additional 25 establishments identified via the Delhi Fire Service website were also found to be operating without

registration.

The audit found major discrepancies in cess collection figures reported by district authorities and the BOCW Board, amounting to Rs 204.95 crore over a four-year period.

Of the 17 approved welfare schemes, only 12 were implemented during the audit period.

Even then, spending on welfare was as low as 9.53 percent to 11.33 percent of total receipts — except in 2021–22 when ex-gratia payments were made

during the Covid-19

pandemic.

Financial assistance worth Rs 46.08 crore for the education of workers’ children for 2018–19 and 2019–20 was only released in March 2022.

As of September 2023, benefits for subsequent years had not yet been paid. The report also notes delays of up to 1,423 days in processing applications under various schemes.