CHANDIGARH: Haryana Labour Minister Anil Vij has exposed a Rs 1,500 crore scam involving irregularities in the issuance of work slips by the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The scam is linked to the fake registration of construction workers to avail benefits under various government schemes.
Flagging the issue within his own department, Vij has urged Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to order a thorough investigation.
Sharing details, Vij said that the irregularities came to light during a recent meeting of the board, where lapses were found not only in the appointment of board members but also in the distribution of benefits under welfare schemes for construction workers.
He said that as per initial investigations, large-scale irregularities surfaced in Hisar, Kaithal, Jind, Sirsa, Faridabad and Bhiwani districts. Subsequently, Deputy Commissioners of all districts were directed to form district-level verification committees comprising a Labour Department officer and three other officials.
"These committees are physically verified online work slips issued between August 2023 and March 2025. The verification process began around four months ago, and 100 per cent verification has been completed in 13 districts (Karnal, Rewari, Nuh (Mewat), Mahendragarh, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Palwal, Panipat, Rohtak, Sonepat, Panchkula, Sirsa and Kaithal) so far. A total of 5,99,758 work slips were issued. Of these only 53,249 were found to be valid, while 5,46,509 were declared invalid,’’ he said.
Vij said,`` Similarly, out of 2,21,517 labour registrations, only 14,240 workers were found eligible after verification, whereas 1,93,756 registrations were found to be invalid. It has become clear that in many places, entire villages were fraudulently registered and work slips generated so that ineligible persons could avail benefits.’’
Vij noted that a worker receives benefits averaging Rs 2.5 lakh under various schemes.
"Those who are not eligible are availing benefits. This is outright loot, causing the government a financial loss running into hundreds of crores, ” he said.
He further said that the verification committees are examining all aspects, including authenticity of workplaces, actual participation in construction activities, employer details, local inquiries and field inspections.
Outlining benefits available to registered construction workers, Vij said that maternity assistance of Rs 36,000, paternity benefit of Rs 21,000, educational aid for children ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 annually, merit scholarships up to Rs 51,000, full reimbursement for professional courses, hostel assistance up to Rs 1.2 lakh, coaching aid up to Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 incentive for daughters to purchase electric scooters and laptop grants under the CM Shram Yogi Pratibha Yojana. He said strict action would be taken against all those found guilty at any level.