Verify 1.3 mn labourers for free bus passes, transit hostels: Delhi CM Kejriwal

The directions were issued in a meeting to review the functioning of a workers' welfare body of the state government

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asked the labour department to verify details of all 1.3 million construction workers in the city by June so that they can be provided free bus passes and other benefits. The directions were issued in a meeting CM held to review the functioning of the Delhi Building And Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCWWB), a worker welfare body of the state government.The chief minister also sought plans to provide subsidised housing and transit hostels to the workers.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chairs a high-level meeting with the labour department to review the functioning of the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board in New Delhi on Monday. (HT Photo)

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the CM over the decision stating that the Delhi government is yet to implement the central government’s labour-centric schemes.

The Delhi government first announced a free bus pass plan for construction workers in May last year.

CM Kejriwal on Monday also directed the board to formulate a detailed action plan on how it seeks to complete verification of all employees within two months; along with its plans on providing subsidised housing and transit hostels, group life insurance, free bus passes, employee state insurance (ESI) cover and educational benefits to all registered workers.

A transport department official said that the free bus passes can be issued to construction workers if the DBOCWWB takes up the cost of these passes. “We can develop a mechanism — both online and offline — for issuing such passes. The passes can be issued for three or six months and can be renewed. It all depends on the discussions with the board officials,” said the official, asking not to be named.

Read: Amid rising inflation, Delhi govt hikes workers' wages

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva slammed the CM stating that labourers have not forgotten how the Kejriwal government forced them to leave Delhi during the Covid-19 lockdown. “Workers settled in Delhi want to know from Arvind Kejriwal why he did not implement central government’s e-labour card, Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Atal Bima Yojana etc., in Delhi,” said Sachdeva.

Thaneshwar Dayal Adigaur, secretary of Delhi Asangathit Nirman Mazdoor Union, said, “In the name of making bus travel free for the labourers, the government wants to transfer the board’s funds to other departments to fulfil their political agenda. Most of the construction workers rarely use the bus while going to work since their work sites are nearby.”

Meanwhile, an official said that the chief minister was dissatisfied with the number of workers receiving benefits of the government’s schemes, and pulled up the officers concerned. The CM also said the board lacks a mechanism to verify the existence of the registered workers and reach out to them.

“If the department is extending the benefit of these schemes to barely 400-500 people in the name of applications for a scheme, then there is no point in running this department itself…If the department has ₹3,000- ₹4,000 crores lying around, then it must extend the benefit of its schemes to all 1.3 million workers…,” Kejriwal was quoted as saying in the meeting.

The CM directed the officials to carry out a verification exercise along with teams from the revenue department to verify their registrations by June.