Shimla – The Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (BOCWWB) has announced several new initiatives to improve welfare services for labourers in the state. Chairman of the Board, Nardev Singh Kanwar, while presiding over the 51st meeting of the Board of Directors, said that skill training, eKYC, and digitisation will form the core of upcoming reforms.
Kanwar said that the Board will provide skill development training to registered workers and their dependents to enhance their employability and income opportunities. He directed officials to speed up the eKYC process and identify a suitable agency for the task. The integration of workers’ data with the e-Shram portal and the digitisation of claim records were also emphasised to ensure transparency and the faster delivery of benefits.
To strengthen its presence, the Board has approved the creation of 150 Shramik Mitra posts on an outsourced basis. These Shramik Mitras will act as motivators to guide workers about various schemes and assist them in accessing welfare benefits.
The meeting also approved the opening of a new sub-office at Bhoranj in Hamirpur district and the establishment of labour chowks in Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur and Solan under the Model Welfare Scheme. Directions were issued to identify land for the State Headquarters in Hamirpur and to coordinate with HIMUDA for securing permanent premises for the Labour Welfare Office in Shimla.
In order to raise awareness, the Board will install information hoardings at fair price shops in Hamirpur on a pilot basis. Further, disaster-affected workers will be provided financial assistance on a co-terminus basis with an enhanced 10 percent margin over government schemes. In a relief measure, the claim submission timeline for workers has also been extended from six months to one year.
Kanwar stated that these measures are designed to ensure the smooth delivery of welfare benefits and make the Board more responsive to the needs of construction workers across Himachal Pradesh.
