Thirty women construction workers received maternity benefit of Rs. 5,000 each granted by the A.P. Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board at a programme organised by the Labour Department here on Thursday.
Commissioner of Labour D. Sreenivasulu handed over the cheques to the beneficiaries. Maternity benefit is the one being given by the board to construction workers. A woman construction worker will get Rs. 5,000 each for two confinements.
The beneficiaries were from Parawada, Munagapaka and Atchutapuram mandals in Anakapalle Circle of the Labour Department and many of them were working in the NTPC.
They had applied after the scheme was announced on August 15 last year. As many as 136 had applied in the Visakhapatnam Zone (consisting of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts) and so far 96 claims have been settled and a sum of Rs. 4.80 lakhs was distributed to beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries were present with their toddlers and looked happy at the benefit they had received.
One of the beneficiaries, a 19-year-old Chintakayala Devi of Mutyalampalem in Parawada mandal, who received Rs. 5,000 after giving birth to a baby girl seven months ago, said the sum had taken care of her delivery expenses, though she and her husband, a mason, were now forced to spend money on the medical care of the baby, who is not keeping good health.
Daily wages
She was engaged as a construction worker since she was 17 years. She earns between Rs. 80 and Rs. 90 a day and work is available for around 10 days in a month. Medical care is available at Vaada Cheepurupalli, three km from her village.
Joint Commissioners of Labour -- S. Lakshminarayana and P. Surreddi -- Deputy Commissioners of Labour -- K. Yella Rao and S. Bala Ravi -- Secretary to the Board Ashok, ACLs -- Chandramouli and M. Padmavathi -- and other officials, BMS in-charge of unorganised sector M.V.S. Naidu and others were present.
