Online registration compulsory for labourers in Punjab

REGULATIONS Punjab labour department’s circular says that payment, deposit of cess amount will be done online

We are illiterate and not familiar with internet. Now, we will have to visit cyber cafes, which will charge hefty amount for registration. SHYAM SUNDER, a labourer in Phagwara Through the online process, it will not be possible for the labour dept to verify whether someone has worked for 90 days in a year at one place. VIJAY WALIA, Social Change and Equity Organisation president

KAPURTHALA: Labourers will now have to use the online registration facility for availing benefits of different labour schemes under the category of building and other construction workers (BOCW) in the state.

The Punjab labour department issued a circular on August 7 regarding the same.

The circular states that registration of construction workers, online payment, the deposit of cess amount and registration of labour organisations will be done online.

The website on which the online work can be done is http:/ /bocw.punjab.gov.in/ only.

Now, there will be no manual registration with district labour departments.

The initiative has been taken to ensure transparency and accuracy in the distribution of services among the state beneficiaries.

However, it is proving to be a tough task for workers, who are mostly uneducated and not tech-savvy.

The labour department has not created any awareness among labourers, who are already facing problems.

Sham Sunder, a labourer of Phagwara, said that he visited the Kapurthala labour department office on Thursday.

He went there to get his brother registered as a mason with the Building and Other Construction Workers Board, but the board officials asked him to go for online registration.

“We are illiterate and not familiar with internet. We are not tech-savvy,” he added.

“Now, we will have to visit cyber cafes, which will charge us hefty amount for registration,” he said.

Meanwhile, registered NGOs volunteers feel that this directive will only promote duplicity in the registration process with BOCW Board.

Vijay Walia, president of Centre for Social Change and Equity Organisation, said “Through the online process, it will not be possible for the labour department to verify whether someone has worked as a construction worker for 90 days in a year at one place.”

Meanwhile, the BOCW Board had received ₹ 1029-crore cess amount till June 30.

It has spent about ₹ 496 crore under various welfare schemes and other administrative expenses among 6 lakh registered workers.

However, the estimated number of workers in the state is over 20 lakh.