Around 13 lakh registered construction workers in Delhi will be provided subsidised housing from the Delhi government. Benefits including free bus passes, group life insurance and transit hotels, will also be provided, as decided in the meeting between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Labour Department.
Subsidised housing for construction workers
According to the plan, the government will allot LIG flats to construction workers, and bear 75% of the costs. The beneficiaries will pay the remaining 25%. Further, toolkits and skill training for masons, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and painters will be supplied on a large scale, the Delhi government said.
To provide subsidised housing to construction workers, the CM has directed the board to meet with officials of land-owning agencies like Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporationof Delhi (MCD), Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) to draft a plan. Also, land allocated for the government’s Co-Working Spaces (CWS) may be used for this purpose. The CM has directed the labour department to take up the task on a pilot basis first.
Other benefits for construction workers
Kejriwal also announced free coaching to the construction workers’ children and the development of crèche facilities on site. Officials have been directed to carry out a proper exercise with the revenue department teams to verify its registrations by June 2023.
If the department is extending the benefit of these schemes to barely 400 – 500 people, there is no point in running this department itself. If the department has Rs 3,000 – 4,000 crore lying with it, then it must extend the benefit of its schemes to all 13 lakh workers. There can be no compromise with the welfare of our workforce,”, Kejriwal said.
The CM also accepted the proposal to extend the ESI Scheme cover to all registered workers of Delhi. The ESI members are eligible for several benefits including unemployment allowances, maternity benefits, disability benefits, sickness benefits, medical benefits and pensions.
The board has been directed to prepare the detailed action plan by the first week of May 2023 and present it to the CM for review.
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