In Himachal, 0.131 mn claims of construction workers pending

Since more than six months ago, more than 0.13 million construction employees who are registered with the Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board have been waiting for the resolution of their claims under various social programmes. According to data obtained under the RTI Act, there are 1,31,683 applications pending (until March 28, 2023), with claims totaling around Rs 300 crore. Of these, 1,17,778 applications are for financial aid for school, 8,115 are for marriage, 3,141 are for maternity benefits, 1,949 are for health care, 343 are for deaths in the family, 241 are for people with disabilities, and 116 are for housing grants. A little over 5 lakh workers are listed with the Board, which has $700 million in assets. The general secretary of an NGO, Bhavan and Kamgar Sangh, Ravinder Singh Ravi, said that the Board had neglected to convene regular sessions to consider petitions. He claimed that a few bureaucrats at the top of the Board are not giving the poor their due. Harshwardhan Chauhan, the minister of industries and labour for Himachal, suggested that the majority of the claims may have remained unresolved during the previous BJP administration. The real claims would be addressed in a Board meeting, he claimed.