As per the extant provisions of Section 12 of Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 [BOCW (RE&CS) Act, 1996], which is in force, there is no restriction for worker to get registered and avail himself/herself intended benefits in a State after fulfilling the quantified conditions, which inter-alia, mentions that every building worker who has completed eighteen years of age, but has not completed sixty years of age, and who has been engaged in any building or other construction for not less that ninety days during the preceding twelve months shall be eligible for registration as a beneficiary in the State Welfare Boards under this Act and the same provisions for the Act continue.

In order to simplify the registration/enrolment process, detailed provisions were given as Machinery for Registration of workers in the aforesaid Model Welfare Scheme, by way of allotting Unique Identification Number to the registered BOC workers, delegation/appointment of competent officers at local/municipal/panchayat level, allowing self-certification, holding regular camps/creation of facilitation centers at prominent labour chowks/addas, issuance of ID cards to BOC workers etc.

Moreover, by invoking Section 60 of the BOCW (RE&CS) Act, 1996, a Mission Mode Project (MMP) was also forwarded to all the States/UTs and they were advised to ensure that all the left-out BOC workers are registered with the State Welfare Boards and their records updated in a time bound manner which relies on easing out the process of registration, doing away with the physical presence of workers for registration and renewals, reposing trust on workers by self-certification and giving due benefits to all eligible construction workers in terms of universal social security and welfare schemes of the Central/State Governments.

The Central Government is committed to protect and promote the welfare, social security, safety and health of labourers. It has enacted the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 [BOCW (RE&CS) Act, 1996], now subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (OSH Code, 2020), to regulate the employment and conditions of service of building and other construction workers and to provide for their safety, health and welfare measures and for other matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. These provisions are enforced by the Central and State Governments in their respective spheres.

The implementation of Welfare schemes relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity cover, transit housing, skill development, financial assistance for education of wards etc. of Building and Other Construction Workers has been entrusted upon State/UT BOCW Welfare Boards under Section 22 of the Act.

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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