Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 24: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan today chaired 17th Board Meeting of Jammu & Kashmir Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (JKBOCWWB).
Commissioner Secretary Labour and Employment Department (L&E), Saurabh Bhagat; Director General Budget, MY Itoo; CEO BOCWWB, Peer Muzaffar Ahmad; senior officers of Finance Department, Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Department, Jal Shakti Department, PWD, Housing and Urban Development, PDD, representatives of labourers’ and Mazdoor associations were present during the meeting. While as Assistant Labour Commissioner Jammu and other labourers’ associations attended the meeting via video conference.
Advisor Khan said that in order to make welfare schemes grand success, creating awareness among the labour force is vital step , adding that the labour force is one of the most honourable segment of our society as they earn with all their honesty and hard work.
“We have to take care of this underprivileged segment of our society through the Government run schemes and also to simplify the process so that these workers would avail all the benefits meant for them,” Advisor Khan said while addressing the Board members.
The meeting was told that more than Rs 68 crore, including Rs 13.12 crore during financial year 2019-20, was disbursed into the accounts of BOC workers during current COVID-19 crisis.
It was given out that Rs 4000 per active BOC worker was sanctioned in four installments of Rs 1000 each with effect from April 2020 and the amount was disbursed through DBT to every active BOC worker registered with the Board.
On the occasion, the Advisor directed the concerned departments, where a large chunk of labourers work, to ensure the registration of these workers so that they would avail benefits of such schemes and added that all the private companies and employers who employ workers must be held responsible for the non registration of labourers.
Taking account of various welfare schemes under its ambit, the Advisor asked the Board to further streamline and ease the process of applying, reducing redundant, repetitive formalities for various assistance schemes to ensure that the benefits reach the designated beneficiaries.
Advisor Khan also asked the Board to create a simplified and centralized system for verification of beneficiaries so as to speed up disposing of cases besides bringing transparency in the process.
The Board also decided to launch several girls and women welfare schemes like bi cycle facility and marriage assistance and other schemes so as to make women of BOC workers more empowered and self dependent.
Besides, the Board meeting discussed enhancment in the financial assistance under welfare schemes; sponsorship for meritorious students for professional degrees based on the percentage of marks; providing bi cycles to the meritorious girl children of BOC wokers; making Tehsildar concerned as competent authority to issue the dependent certificate in favour of BOC workers.
It also discussed the construction of labour sarai, night shelter and transit accommodations, inclusion of nursery, KGs in the education assistance schemes of the Board.