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Punjab: Unions fear fund diversion as VB-GRAMG workers get construction workforce tag
The decision has drawn strong opposition from trade unions, who contend that enrolling VB-GRAMG workers will dilute benefits meant for genuine construction workers and violate the statutory requirement of 90 days of work experience in construction
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In an unprecedented move, the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board has begun enrolling workers under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-GRAMG)—formerly MGNREGA—making them eligible for BOCW welfare benefits.
The decision has drawn strong opposition from trade unions, who contend that enrolling VB-GRAMG workers will dilute benefits meant for genuine construction workers and violate the statutory requirement of 90 days of work experience in construction.
Sardara Singh, the president of the Dr. Ambedkar Workers Union, Punjab, called the move a misuse of funds. “This violates the new labour code. Funds collected specifically for the welfare of construction workers should be used exclusively for them, not diverted to workers who do not meet mandatory eligibility criteria,” he said.
However, board officials maintained that no money has been diverted to date.
Clarifying the drive’s status, officials said workers are currently only being registered; once enrollment is complete, they will become eligible to apply for various welfare schemes.
The decision was approved during the 31st meeting of the Punjab BOCW Welfare Board on June 6, chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who serves as the board’s ex-officio chairman. The board granted ex-post facto approval to count work performed under the rural employment scheme as qualifying experience for registration.
According to minutes of the meeting accessed by Hindustan Times, “The board considered the agenda item and gave ex-post facto approval to the proposal that the work performed by workers under Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (formerly MGNREGA) shall be considered as acceptable criteria for registration with the BOCW Welfare Board, as these workers are engaged in building and other construction works under the said schemes.”
Following the approval, the chief minister directed the rural development department to organise a mass registration drive. Through this initiative, the welfare board aims to expand its registered workforce from roughly 3 lakh to 10 lakh.
Senior labour department officials were reached for comment. Labour secretary Manvesh Sidhu was contacted twice via WhatsApp on September 18 and 19, while labour commissioner Rajeev Gupta was contacted by phone on September 18; neither responded.
Statutory verification, legal challenges
The registration drive has also raised legal and procedural concerns regarding compliance with the new labour code.
Under the new code, all worker registrations must be seeded with Aadhaar and a Universal Account Number (UAN) or another unique identifier generated through the designated central portal. However, no specific legal provisions under the new labour code address the validity of converting rural employment scheme days into qualifying construction experience.
Additionally, the rules stipulate that a qualifying building worker must be between 18 and 60 years of age and must have completed at least 90 days of building or other construction work in the preceding 12 months.
While trade unions have not yet decided whether to challenge this specific registration drive in court, they have already mounted a legal challenge against the state’s Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana.
