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Delhi hands out ₹5k aid to 264,000+ construction workers in the Capital
New Delhi: The Delhi construction workers welfare board has disbursed ₹5,000 financial aid to over 264,000 registered workers since April this year, said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s office on Monday
New Delhi: The Delhi construction workers welfare board has disbursed ₹5,000 financial aid to over 264,000 registered workers since April this year, said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s office on Monday.
The Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board disbursed the aid, to help workers during the lockdowns in the city, to 216,602 people during a drive in April, and 47,996 others between May 28 and July 18, said state government officials.
Sisodia, who is also Delhi’s labour minister said, “When the first lockdown was imposed because of the pandemic [in end-March] last year, the Delhi government was one of the first state governments to grant relief disbursement to all 39,600 workers who were registered with the construction board in March 2020.”
“After taking charge of the labour department in November last year, inspections and mass registration drives were conducted at all the labour offices. Based on these inspections and registration drives, we have carried out a series of reforms in the labour department. As a result of this, within eight months, the number of construction workers registered with the construction board has increased to three lakhs [300,000],” Sisodia said.
The deputy chief minister took charge of the labour ministry from Gopal Rai last year.
He also said the Delhi government disbursed ₹5,000 each to 216,602 construction workers as Covid-19 relief in April this year. “This ex-gratia payment is for construction workers whose applications were approved between May 28 and July 18 this year. I appeal to all eligible workers to get registered with the construction board so they can avail its benefits... The ex-gratia relief comes as an additional benefit for construction workers who were hit hardest because of the Covid-19 crisis in Delhi,” Sisodia said.
