Labourers in pvt construction to get welfare board benefits

The Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (HPBOCW) will extend its welfare schemes to workers engaged in private construction projects across the state. This announcement was made by Nardev Kanwar, Chairman of HPBOCW, during an awareness and material distribution event at Town Hall, Hamirpur.

Kanwar highlighted that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu envisions reaching the last person in society with the benefits of government welfare schemes. To implement this vision, the board is currently running 13 welfare schemes for workers. Kanwar also announced plans to visit every district to ensure workers’ welfare is prioritised.

He revealed that approximately 4.5 lakh workers are registered with the board statewide, with e-KYC underway to verify eligibility. Hamirpur district has the second-highest number of registered workers, with 81,000, following Mandi. During the e-KYC verification process, around 1,400 individuals were found ineligible for the board’s schemes.

Sunil Sharma Bittu, who also addressed the gathering, stated that the state government has decided to establish the state-level office of HPBOCW in Hamirpur, with operations set to begin soon. He emphasised that the Chief Minister has issued directives to ensure all eligible beneficiaries receive the schemes’ benefits.

Senior Congress leader Dr Pushpendra Verma encouraged workers to take full advantage of the welfare schemes. Labour Welfare Officer Rashmi Thakur elaborated on the various schemes available.

During the event, the Chairman distributed over 100 induction stoves to workers from Hamirpur block as part of the welfare initiative.