Ineligible beneficiaries got ₹4L aid meant for labourers: CAG

MOGA: Punjab’s deputy secretary, labour, has written to assistant labour commissioner, Moga, asking for an explanation on disbursal of Rs 4 lakh to ineligible beneficiaries under ex gratia scheme of the Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Welfare Board.

Overall, over 2,100 ineligible beneficiaries have been given financial benefits under the ex gratia scheme; financial assistance for education to wards and the stipend scheme.

These include cycles being given to 1,994 ineligible beneficiaries. HT has a copy of the deputy secretary’s letter dated August 3.

The matter came to light when the state labour department raised concern over irregularities that the state Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted in its audit report for 2017-18. According to the CAG, financial assistance of lakhs were given to 135 children of registered workers for education in the same class in different years, violating the provisions of the stipend scheme.

“Besides, the Moga labour department has also given the benefit of this scheme to nine children of workers, who had not met the requirement of minimum 90-day of construction work over the past year,” the CAG report adds.

Under the stipend scheme, children of registered workers are entitled to get financial assistance between Rs 3,000 and Rs 80,000 depending on class or education type.

Likewise, cycles were distributed to 1,994 students of Classes 9 and 10, without ensuring that their parents had completed minimum 90-day construction work, the CAG report adds.

CAG had also pointed out that the district labour department had given Rs 4 lakh to a beneficiary under the ex gratia scheme, who was covered under then Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna (BPSSBY).

A labour department official said, “Financial assistance can be given to students of every grade, only once. Workers are also required to be engaged in construction work for a minimum 90 days over the last year to get benefit of any scheme of the BOCW.” Moga assistant labour commissioner Baljeet Singh said, “I have joined here recently. We have submitted a reply to the department’s letter.”