Himachal workers’ welfare board to issue notices to ‘erring’ officers

The Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (HPBOCWWB) will seek explanation from officers, who allegedly benefited ineligible people during the BJP regime.

In a meeting held here today, the board also decided to carry out a physical verification drive to identify ineligible workers registered with it. Field verification teams of the board would conduct visits every Wednesday and Friday.

Board Chairman Nardev Kanwar said notices would be issued to the officers and employees allegedly involved in benefitting thousands of ineligible people with schemes after registering them as workers from April 2021 to October 2022. He added that a strict action would be taken against them if found guilty.

Kanwar said about 70,000 workers were registered in the state in a few months before the Assembly elections in 2022 and financial benefits of about Rs 171.61 crore were distributed.

He said during investigations, several irregularities had surfaced that had caused a huge financial loss, besides depriving many eligible and needy workers of financial benefits.

He said so far 1,495 such people were identified across the state, who had taken advantage of the board’s schemes by adopting wrong tactics.