The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, is organising a National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) in Mumbai on 11–12 September 2026, under the chairmanship of Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports.

The Conference will be attended by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Labour Ministers and senior officials from States/UTs, Chairpersons and Secretaries of BOCW Welfare Boards and senior officers from Central and State governments.

The Conference will also review progress on three major initiatives launched at the National Labour Conference held in New Delhi in November 2025, namely the State BOCW Digital Labour Chowk, Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres and Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal. These initiatives seek to strengthen employment facilitation, provide more dignified and accessible worker-centric services, and improve transparency and efficiency in cess collection and monitoring.

States/UTs taking forward Digital Labour Chowk

As part of the implementation of the State BOCW Digital Labour Chowk, Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will be launching their respective initiatives during the conference.

The initiative being undertaken by these States/UTs will provide building and other construction workers with better access to employment-related services.

Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal

States are also adopting digital mechanisms to strengthen transparency and efficiency in BOCW cess collection and monitoring. Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal will be  inaugurating the Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal at the upcoming national conference.

The measure is aimed at streamlining cess collection and monitoring, while strengthening digital processes under the BOCW framework.

Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres

The Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centre (LCFC) initiatives of Bihar and West Bengal will be launched at the BOCW Conference in Mumbai.

The Centres are intended to make it easier for construction workers to access employment and welfare services and get the support they need.

The State-wise progress reflects the efforts being undertaken by States/UTs to translate the initiatives launched at the National Labour Conference into implementation on the ground. The experience of these States will provide opportunities for mutual learning, sharing successful practices and identifying approaches that can be adapted and replicated in other States/UTs.

The two-day Conference is aimed at building stronger coordination between the Centre, States/UTs and BOCW Welfare Boards, identifying implementation gaps and establishing priority actions for more effective and accessible delivery of social security, welfare and employment opportunities to construction workers.

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Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander