With the Andaman and Nicobar Islands witnessing fast development in all sectors, the UT Administration is taking effective measures to ensure the safety, health and welfare of a massive population engaged in the construction industry. Since inception under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1998 and rules for A&N Islands framed in the year 2003 and in 2010/2014 and 2015 with subsequent amendments to include various welfare schemes, the Andaman and Nicobar Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (ANBOCWWB) presently has over 15,000 registered workers and disbursed financial assistance to the tune of several lakhs to beneficiaries over the years.
“The primary objective of the Board is to register the construction workers working in different capacities like labourers, Mason, Welder, Drivers, Helpers etc, frame welfare schemes for them and to provide them financial benefits under such schemes. The mission of the Board is to uplift the living standards of the construction workers and their family members by providing them basic amenities and adequate welfare measures after enrolling them as beneficiaries with the Board and providing them benefits by way of direct transfer into their bank accounts, under various welfare schemes of the board in a very transparent and efficient manner. Any worker doing any building and other construction work in these islands including those working under the MNREGA scheme of the government are eligible to register themselves with the Board. Registration is simple and a construction worker can become a member of the board by submitting the requisite application form along with documents and registration fee of Rs 20,” informed Mr Madhusudan Baidya, Labour Commissioner and Secretary of the Board.
“The constitution of the Board is one of the pioneer steps towards ensuring welfare of construction workers in these islands which has been constituted to regulate and implement welfare schemes for the benefit of beneficiaries. The Board also conducts special drives at regular intervals for registration of the labourers in different parts of these islands besides motivating them to avail benefits of several welfare schemes of the Board. All schemes formulated under the Act are meant to benefit the labour force which plays a pivotal role in the development of this country. I urge all eligible workers to come forward and register with the Board and avail benefits of the schemes. The Board has adequate corpus generated from civil projects executed by different agencies including different departments of the administration, Central government agencies and private builders which contribute 1 percent cess levied and collected for every project to the Board,” says Mr Baidya.
Source: The Echo of India