Construction workers’ board to begin ops from Hamirpur

The Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board will begin its operations from Hamirpur in the first week of February, following a decision by the state government to relocate the board’s headquarters from Shimla to this district. Nardev Kanwar, the chairman of the board, made the announcement after inspecting the building proposed to house the new office.

In a cabinet meeting held in November 2024, the government approved the shift, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu instructing officials to expedite the move. The district administration has recommended housing the office in the old SDM office building, which is located near the mini secretariat.

Kanwar emphasised the board’s commitment to supporting building and construction workers by addressing their welfare needs, including family care. Currently, over 4.57 lakh workers are registered with the board across the state, with the highest number of workers from Mandi and Kangra districts. Any individual engaged in building or construction work, whether skilled, semi-skilled, or manual labourers like masons, painters, plumbers, welders, electricians, carpenters, or helpers, is eligible for registration.

To register, workers between the ages of 18 and 60, with a certificate of at least 90 days of building and construction work, can either visit the Labour Welfare Office in their area or self-register online via the portal https://bocw.hp.nic.in/index.aspx.

The chairman also outlined the significant benefits available to registered workers, including financial assistance for children’s education (ranging from Rs 8,400 to Rs 1.2 lakh depending on the course), health assistance (up to Rs 1 lakh for indoor treatment), marriage assistance of Rs 51,000 for the marriage of a daughter, and up to Rs 3 lakh for the construction of a house.