BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government today launched Pucca Ghar Yojana for construction workers.
Launching the scheme, chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced that pucca houses will be built for 50,000 construction workers during the current financial year with a cost of `500 crore.
“My government always wants that all construction workers of the state should get a house of their own. The state government has decided to provide an assistance of ` 1 lakh to each registered construction worker of the state for construction of his/her house under the Yojana,” the chief minister said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of the start of Nirman Shramik Seva Saptaha (Construction Workers' Service Week). In the first phase, the benefit will be provided to 1200 registered construction workers.
A construction worker, registered with the Odisha Buildings and Construction Workers' Welfare Board, for the three years can avail the benefit, he said.
The chief minister said that out of the 12.6 lakh registered construction workers in the state, 2.5 lakh have received assistance of `90 crore from the state government. He said that the state government will provide assistance of `10 crore to over 25,000 registered construction workers during the year.
Stating that the Board has provided identity cards to more than 10,000 eligible construction workers, the chief minister announced that the state government has decided to set up training centres in all the 30 districts to upgrade their skills. The training centres will be set up to ensure that the workers get more wages after becoming more skilled, he said.
The chief minister said memoranda of understanding (MoU) have been signed with Odia Workers' Associations at Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru and Chennai for the welfare of the construction workers from the state.
Claiming that the Odisha has become a role model for other states in terms of the socio-economic development of construction workers, the chief minister said his government has implemented a number of schemes for them, including schemes to ensure the education and safeguard the health of their children.
Minister of state for labour Prafulla Kumar Mallik, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani, legislators Bijoy Mohanty and Priyadarshi Mishra, chairman of the Board Subas Singh and senior officials attended.