Under the Supreme Court scanner among other States on implementation of welfare schemes to construction workers, Tamil Nadu government claimed it is “pioneering State” providing grassroot welfare assistance to construction labourers.
In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu said its State laws such as Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Work) Act, 1982 and welfare schemes outmatched the Central government's statutes like Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. Citing one instance of its welfare schemes for construction workers, the State's Labour and Employment Department said the government has ordered a Rs. 106-crore project for dormitory-type accommodation to house 7,000 construction workers.
It said another project has been ordered to provide anganwadi facilities to address the nutritional ad development needs of children of construction workers at 50 work sites.
It said the government would be utilising the funds of the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board.
The State government filed the recent affidavit in response to an apex court order dated February 13, 2015, setting out the status of receipt and utilisation of funds and schemes run by the State government with details of officials handling them.
The affidavit showed that between 1995 to December 31, 2014, Rs. 972,60,38,368 was received by the government. Of this, welfare scheme assistance of Rs. 263,47,70,345 was disbursed to 8,91,210 registered construction workers.
The affidavit said the total utilisation of funds in 2014-15 is Rs.41,13,96,164.
The affidavit is part of a Supreme Court hearing on petition filed by National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour alleging the delay by States to implement the provisions of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulations of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 and the Building and other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996.
