The Central Building and Other Construction Worker’s Advisory Committee chairman Vedurlapally Naidu has said that the panel has stressed on safety, health and sanitary aspects of the labourers in India.
The committee is striving to provide qualitative educational facilities and other welfare schemes to the children of the labour class category of people by availing loans for higher education, he added.
Naidu was speaking to the media during the 21st statutory meeting of CBOCWAC Western Zone held at the Mormugao Port Trust guest house conference hall, Headland Sada recently.
He was accompanied by regional labour commissioner N M Shetty.
Naidu said that safety is an important aspect as per Supreme Court guidelines for the labourers at their workplace.
“The safety and health aspects need to be complied with by the employers at the workplace,” said Naidu and further opined that in case there is any violation with regard to the safety and health norms then the employer is liable for penalty or cancellation of his license.
He further informed that there is a separate enforcement cell to check the issue of child labour in India.
There are around 2,500 workers registered in Goa, among them majority are migrants, he added.
The CBOCWAC meeting has got a special significance in the wake of the ever-growing construction industry in the state. It is estimated that around 10 million workers in the country are engaged in building and other construction works.
“We have discussed ways and means to streamline the Building and Other Construction Worker’s Act by way of amendments to improve cess collection, registration of workers and to implement various schemes for the welfare of construction workers. The scheme is also on the anvil to issue smartcards linked with Aadhar and to associate NGO’s to speed up the process of registration,” said Naidu.
He further said that the government of India has been playing the role of a regulator and has introduced several reforms aiming to improve the safety, health and quality of life of workers in the construction industry.
“The present initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar is to alleviate the working environment from outdated policies and regulations focusing on general welfare of workers in the construction industry,” he said.
“My dream project is to present a sustainable model for the state governments in collection and utilisation of the Building and Other Construction Worker’s Welfare cess to the maximum extent possible. The committee is also expected to evaluate and compile best practices in terms of welfare schemes initiated and technologies adopted by the state governments,” he added.
Date: June 07, 2018