The Maharashtra government on Friday clarified that it had not taken any decision on depositing ₹5,000 in the accounts of 12 lakh construction workers in the State.
Ever since hundreds of migrant labourers gathered outside Bandra railway station demanding that they be sent back to their home towns, there were reports that the State was making financial arrangements to pacify the workers.
According to reports, a proposal to withdraw ₹600 crore from the labour welfare fund of ₹,9000 crore was prepared. As many as 12 lakh construction workers will get ₹5,000 in two instalments of ₹2,500 each.
The government however said that no such proposal was being finalised.
Sources said the proposal is being firmly opposed at the higher level of bureaucracy because it is ‘not practical’.
An official from the Finance Department said, “The proposal did come up for a discussion as a measure to pacify the labourers who survive on daily wages and have lost on it due to the lockdown. It was also seen as a breather to the working class facing a tough financial condition.”
The official also said, “There has been no decision on the proposal yet. It has neither been discarded nor been approved.”
