The Maharashtra government is planning to give labourers smart cards to keep track of them and also for them to avail benefits from state government's 29 schemes. This move comes after the state government found it difficult to gather information on labourers who fall victim to accidents, etc, especially those working at construction sites.
According to Mid-Day, the Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Worker's Welfare Board, Mumbai, (MBOCWWB) which has been implementing the guidelines, will soon issue smart cards to such labourers with unique numbers on it. Prior registration is a must for this and the labourer must submit age proof as the cards will be given only to people between 18 to 60 years. The labourer must also give permanent residence proof, which can be done by giving a copy of the Aadhaar card.
In addition to all this, the labourer must have worked at the site for more than 30 days and a certificate saying this must be procured from the contractor or builder. A bank passbook is also necessary for the smart card facility so that the state government can transfer benefits to bank accounts. The enrolment for the smart card will be Rs 1 annually.
S C Shrirangam, secretary of the MBOCWWB told Mid-Day, "The Supreme Court has issued guidelines in this regard and our department has been trying to implement them. Most of the labourers who died in the Pune incidents were from Bihar. Finding the injured and the kin of victims and giving them benefits was tough. We will soon direct municipal corporations to ensure that builders and contractors get labourers enrolled for the benefits."
