Construction Workers Welfare Board in Delhi to review registrations, weed out 'ghost' workers

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The reconstituted Construction Workers Welfare Board of the Delhi government will review registrations to weed out "ghost" workers, add the genuine ones and ensure optimal expenditure of funds, officials said on Tuesday.

A Delhi government notification issued on Monday said the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board was reconstituted by the lieutenant governor for a period of three years.

The board, headed by Labour Minister Kapil Mishra, will have as members a Central government nominee, Delhi government officers, including Secretary, Labour; Commissioner, Labour; Secretary, Finance; Secretary, Health; and principal secretary, Law, among others, and Board employees.

Mishra said that the registrations will be reviewed to find out if there were any "illegal" beneficiaries, and fresh registrations will be started to enrol genuine construction workers.

He also said the new board will ensure that unspent funds are used to provide maximum benefits to the genuine registered construction workers through various welfare schemes of the government.

There are 12 lakh registered workers, and the number will be increased to at least 15 lakh by the end of this financial year, officials said.

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government is probing registrations of workers with the Board.

A preliminary inquiry by the ACB had found that "ghost" workers were disbursed funds to the tune of Rs 900 crore by the previous Delhi government's Labour department, officials said. PTI VIT NSD NSD