The Union Government has urged the Odisha Government to ensure that the workers engaged in construction activities receive provident fund as well as other benefits.
While there are two crore construction workers in the country, there are 21 lakh of them in Odisha, according to official sources.
Union Ministry of labour and Employment Secretary Sankar Agarwal has written a letter to Chief Secretary Gokul Chandra Pati in this regard.
Agarwal has impressed upon the State Government to facilitate registration of all these workers under the Building and Other Construction Workers Act and the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act so that they get the benefits.
The Union Secretary has said modernisation and industrialisation has boosted the construction industry and the Government of India is concerned over the fate of the huge man force in this sector.
Agarwal has pointed out that it has been observed that despite the legal provisions, coverage of Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) is poor.
However in Odisha, the coverage under BOCW is appreciable with 12 lakh workers having been registered under the Act, said a senior official in the State’s Department of labour and ESI. The Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (OBOCWWB) has been taking steps to provide benefits to the registered workers.
It has been targeted to register 21 lakh workers through the OBOCWWB, said the official.
While there is more coverage under the BOCW Act, there is a large scope for enrolling workers under the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EFPO), said Agarwal.
The Union Secretary has said the contractors are needed to deposit the contribution of the workers with the EFPO and it is mandated to provide all these workers Universal Account Number (UAN).
Agarwal has said that even if a contractor establishment does not have 20 or more employees/workers, it will have to ensure registration of their workers with the proper authorities to get them UAN so that the workers could get minimum social security coverage.