Delhi govt plans schemes for labourers, contract workers

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party government is initiating steps to implement welfare schemes for unorganised sectors workers in the city with an aim to fulfill another poll promise. The Delhi Building and Other Construction Welfare Board, constituted by previous Congress government on 2 September 2002, at present has an unutilised amount of over Rs 1,200 crore and the new Labour Minister Girish Soni plans to use it under new schemes.[caption id=“attachment_1323197” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi Labour Minister Girish Soni. Image courtesy AAP[/caption] “Construction work labourers are the most exploited section and their condition is pathetic. A major chunk of the group are migrated people. They don’t have any facilities. They are not educated and not aware of their rights,” he said. The minister plans to utilise the money under a new scheme to ensure social security for unorganised sector workers along with regulating their wages and working hours. He also held a meeting recently with the Commissioner of the labour department. The total cess collected by the board up to November 11, 2013 is Rs 1,256 crore and the expenditure on welfare schemes till now has been Rs 37.41 crore, Soni said. In a bid to make jobs for contract labourers permanent, for which the party garnered huge support, Soni has also directed all government departments to send them the lists of contract workers. “There are people who have been working for long but their jobs have not been regularised and they work on contract. Once I get the data we will chalk out a strategy to regularise them,” Soni added. According to officials, Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking Mazdoor Sangh (workers union) general secretary Balbir Singh also met Labour Minister demanding elimination of contract labour in power distribution companies. In its manifesto AAP had stated, “No contractual jobs for work that is required 365 days a year; ensuring implementation of minimum wages.” PTI