NEW DELHI: Building and other construction workers' boards in states and UTs have Rs 38,209.59 crore lying with them, collected through cess from construction firms as on November 1, 2022, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
The Centre enacted the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996 (BOCW Welfare Cess Act, 1996) to provide for levy and collection of a cess on the cost of construction incurred by employers with a view to augmenting the resources of Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Boards (BOCWWB).
The BOCW Welfare Cess Act, 1996 provides that state/UT governments are mandated to collect the cess.
State/UT BOCWWBs are also mandated to maintain the data of financial status (cess details), registered workers etc.
A written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday by Minister of State for Labour Rameswar Teli said state BOCWWBs collected Rs 87,478.79 crore in cess and spent Rs 49,269.20 crore till November 1, 2022.
As much as Rs 38,209.59 crore is lying with these boards across the country.
Registration and renewal of the BOC workers, making provisions for providing social security and welfare schemes and implementation of such schemes relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity cover, have been entrusted upon these boards under Section 22 of the Act and, therefore, such detailed data is maintained at the state/UT level only, the minister said.
As many as 5,06,31,758 BOC workers are registered with these welfare boards across the country as on November 1, 2022, Teli informed the House.
In another reply, Teli said as per Economic Survey 2021-22, 43.99 crore workers out of total 53.53 crore workforce, are engaged in the unorganised sector.
The government launched e-SHRAM portal in August 2021 with the objective to create National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW).
As on December 11, 2022, around 28.46 crore workers of the unorganised sector have been registered on the portal, he stated.
In another reply, the minister said, out of total 2.76 crore jobseekers registered on National Career Service Portal, 1.15 crore (42 per cent) are rural youth in the age group of 15-29 years, as on December 11, 2022.