Delhi gives ₹12cr edu aid to construction worker’s kids, rolls out 59 rural projects

Funds sent to 15,706 children under workers’ welfare scheme. Panchayat buildings opened and works across 37 villages aim to boost roads, parks and community spaces.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday oversaw the transfer of ₹12.40 crore into the bank accounts of 15,706 children of registered construction workers to support their education and announced a slate of rural infrastructure projects across the Capital.

Village board cleared 705 projects worth ₹1,556 crore, with ₹157 crore released. Monthly support ranges ₹500 to ₹10,000 for students from school to professional courses. (Vipin KumarHT)

The chief minister also inaugurated newly built panchayat buildings in two villages and laid the foundation stone for 59 development works across 37 villages. The projects, with a combined estimated cost of ₹134 crore, aim to strengthen infrastructure and civic amenities in rural Delhi, officials said.

Addressing a programme at Thyagraj Stadium, Gupta said the capital’s growth rests on the contribution of its labour force. “Delhi is not built only with bricks and roads; it is built by the hands of workers. Ensuring their safety, dignity and future is our priority,” she said. Marking the death anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, she added that the government is guided by the principle of Antyodaya, or uplifting the last person in the queue.

Gupta also criticised previous administrations for not fully utilising the cess fund meant for workers’ welfare. “Delhi can only become stronger when its workers are strong,” she asserted.

Under the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board’s education assistance scheme, students from Classes 1 to 8 receive ₹500 per month, those in Classes 9 and 10 get ₹700, and Classes 11 and 12 students receive ₹1,000 per month. Undergraduate students are eligible for ₹3,000 per month, while those in technical and professional courses such as ITI, polytechnic, engineering, medical and MBA programmes can receive up to ₹10,000 per month.

Gupta said the Delhi Village Development Board has been restructured to accelerate village infrastructure. A total of 776 project proposals worth ₹1,715.05 crore have been submitted, of which 705 projects worth ₹1,556 crore have received administrative approval. An initial instalment of ₹157 crore has been released for 702 projects covering roads, ponds, parks, cremation grounds, community centres, libraries and village meeting spaces. She said Delhi’s villages had faced neglect over the past decade and noted that ₹1,000 crore has been allocated in the budget to address the gap.