The Telangana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board has started collecting the data pertaining to more than eight lakh workers from different fields registered with it to ensure that all the registered workers receive the benefits announced by the government for tiding over the crisis due to the ongoing lockdown.
The Board commenced the exercise to collect the Aadhar numbers, bank account details and mobile numbers of more than 8.2 lakh workers including a few thousands of migrant workers. Efforts are underway to collect the data and process it to ensure that no one is left out in the event of government announcing a relief package for them.
The exercise assumes significance in the light of indications that the ongoing lockdown could continue for some more time beyond April 14, the last day of the 21-day lockdown announced by the Central government. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao took the initiative to provide 12 kg rice and ₹500 cash to each of the migrant workers as part of efforts to check their mass migration to their native places after finding no jobs due to the ongoing lockdown.
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Senior officials of the Board said that data relating to Aadhaar and account details of the workers were hitherto not collected as it was not mandatory in the past. “We have started collection of data and processing it as we should be in a position to submit the details as and when the government asks them,” Board secretary and CEO Koteswara Rao told
The Board, incorporated under the Labour department as tripartite body comprising representatives of workers and employers as well as government employees, had been implementing schemes like marriage gift, maternity benefit, fatal accident and disability relief, hospitalisation relief and pension scheme (NPS) for the workers registered with it.
Mr. Koteswara Rao said according to rules, only registered beneficiaries, either local or migrant workers, are eligible for the benefits announced by the government from time to time. The Board has therefore initiated steps to map the workers registered with it to ensure that the benefits reached all the eligible workers.
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