April 01, 2002

    The Centre will soon convene the State Labour Ministers’ conference to speed up implementation of the Building & Other Construction Workers Act 1966. This was stated by the Labour minister Shri Sharad Yadav while presiding over the 2^nd Meeting of the Central Advisory Committee under the Building & Other Construction Workers Act. He said that the meeting would have a wider agenda of providing social security benefits to workers in the un-organised sector. Shri Yadav said that Delhi and Pondicherry have notified the rules for implementation of the Act while in Assam, Welfare Board has been set up for the construction workers. He lauded the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for extending welfare measures to construction and other workers. Shri Yadav regretted that most of the states have not implemented the Act so far and urged them to take inspiration from the Kerala model. He said that by improving the lot of the building & other construction workers, we would be strengthening the nation.

    Responding to the suggestions made by the members, the Labour Secretary Shri Vinod Vaish said that efforts would be made to hold the State Labour Ministers’ conference in next two months. He said that the Labour Ministry would work more actively for implementation of the Act in the Union Territories. On the question of imparting training to the construction workers, Shri Vaish said that a big exercise has been undertaken in the 10^th Plan for skill building and training. He said the Directorate General of Trainings in the Labour Ministry have already taken steps for provision of training and certification of trained workers. Shri Vaish said that provision of some kind of social security to construction workers during off season periods is under consideration of the Labour Ministry. Regretting delay in holding the meeting of the Central Advisory Committee, the Labour Secretary said that henceforth such meeting would be held every six months or even earlier. The first meeting of the Central Advisory Committee was held on October 30, 2000.

    Shri A.C. Jos, Member of Parliament, revealed that the Welfare Fund in Kerala has bult up a corpus of about one hundred crore rupees and is meeting various social security needs of the construction workers.

    The building and construction activity provides employment to about 1.8 crore persons. In view of it being an important source of employment with tremondous potential for more employment generation, the Building & Other Construction Workers Act was enacted by the Centre in 1966. There is a concept of appropriate government as the building and construction activity is highly scattered. In case of establishments under the central government, the union government has already taken action and notified Central Rules, constituted Central Advisory Committee and notified authorities for implementation of the Act. Each state government is required to take similar action and also set up Welfare Board/ Welfare Fund. The Labour Ministry has been vigorously pursuing the issue with the state governments. The Labour minister has written to the state Labour Ministers in this regard in October 2000 and in January and September last year.