NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, while addressing the House on Friday, criticised the previous AAP government for making grand declarations regarding workers’ welfare without translating them into meaningful action.
The CM revealed that Rs 5,200 crore remained unused in the labour welfare fund, while thousands of workers continued to wait for essential support and benefits.
She termed AAP’s mindset anti-worker and said that while the central government provides registration and renewal services to workers completely free of charge, the Delhi government under the previous regime imposed fees of Rs 25 for registration and Rs 20 for renewal. This unnecessary burden led to a situation where only 7 per cent of workers’ data was renewed annually in Delhi, compared to 100 per cent renewal at the national level.
Speaking during the discussion on the CAG report for the financial year ending 31 March 2023 pertaining to the welfare of labourers, Gupta said that it was only after the Supreme Court’s intervention that the issue was brought to light.
She said how the top court rebuked the AAP government, questioning why only Rs 2,000 had been given to each worker when the approved assistance was Rs 8,000.