Centre urges states to utilise cess funds for workers’ welfare

Mumbai, September 11 (IANS): Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday urged state governments to undertake a detailed assessment of the current utilisation of cess funds, identify gaps, and explore new avenues for their effective utilisation, keeping in view the long-term welfare and social security of workers.  

Addressing the National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) here, the minister also called upon states to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Labour Codes after one year of their implementation and identify areas where more effective execution may be required. He emphasised the need for workshops and orientation programmes for labour law practitioners to facilitate effective implementation of the Codes in letter and spirit.

Highlighting the significance of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) in promoting employment and expanding social security coverage for new entrants to the workforce, the minister urged state governments to undertake focused workshops and engagements with industry and other stakeholders. Such efforts, he noted, would help create greater awareness and ensure that eligible new entrants receive the benefits of the scheme, thereby strengthening the collective efforts towards expanding formal employment and worker welfare.

He stressed the importance of sharing best practices among states and ensuring optimum utilisation of BOCW funds to provide wider social security coverage to workers. He further emphasised the need for the labour ecosystem to continuously evolve with changing times, and underlined the need for the Centre and states to remain aligned in their vision and policies for the holistic welfare of BOCW workers.

He also emphasised the need to explore measures that can provide workers with greater dignity, honour and self-respect, including the possibility of providing pension support to workers. He further highlighted the growing global demand for skilled and semi-skilled workers, and underscored the need to prepare India’s workforce to meet these emerging opportunities.

Mandaviya called for deliberations on international labour mobility, highlighting its significance in the nation’s economic growth through remittances, and in meeting the aspirations of Bharat’s Yuva Shakti. He emphasised the need for coordinated efforts by the Centre and states to create a comprehensive platform for international labour mobility, supported by appropriate financial and digital infrastructure, so that Indian workers can access global opportunities while enhancing India’s credibility on the global stage.

In his address, Labour & Employment Secretary Dr Chandra Bhushan Kumar drew attention to the significance of the Conference, highlighting the number of construction workers across India, which stands at over 7 crore, and the BOCW cess corpus available in the country, amounting to about Rs 77,000 crore. The deliberations at the Conference provide an opportunity to share best practices and engage with industry partners, he added.