Punjab: Welfare board transfers ₹25 lakh into workers’ bank account twice

The Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board is learnt to have asked the officials concerned to recover the excess amount as soon as possible but it is proving an upheaval task because several workers have already withdrawn the money

Officials of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Welfare Board have been on toes as the board mistakenly transferred ₹25 lakh into the bank accounts of construction workers twice in March. The board is learnt to have asked the officials concerned to recover the excess amount as soon as possible but it is proving an upheaval task because several workers have already withdrawn the money.

Recovery will be made and there will be no loss to the exchequer, says Punjab labour department’s principal secretary. (Picture only for representational purpose)

The department has already written to the bank to debit the excess amount from the accounts of construction workers. According to information, the department first transferred ₹25.49 lakhs on March 25 into bank accounts of 182 construction workers under various welfare schemes. Four days later, the department did credit the same amount into the accounts of the same construction workers. Ironically, it was some other official than the responsible ones who raised the alarm.

“Until the bank could debit the excess payment, many construction workers had already withdrawn the entire amount. Therefore, the board has directed its officials for the recovery from the workers,” said a senior official of the labour department.

When asked about the issue, Manvesh Singh Sidhu, principal secretary, labour department, said, “The excess amount will be recovered. There will be no loss to the exchequer.”

Confirming the development, an assistant labour commissioner, pleading anonymity, said, “We have already issued a letter for the recovery of the excess amount from the construction workers. We are hopeful that the entire amount will be recovered soon.”

“We are in touch with construction workers, who have received the excess amount. It happened because of a technical glitch in the portal handled by the National Informatics Centre,” said the above-quoted official.

Sardara Singh, state president, Dr Ambedkar Workers Union, said, “The BOCW officials should conduct an inquiry and take action against the official responsible for the goof-up. Because it is practically not possible to recover the amount from the construction workers once they have spent the money. A few years ago, the officials couldn’t recover the excess amount from the workers when pointed out by CAG in its report.”