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Our Correspondent
Sechu-Zubza, July 8 (EMN): In a first of its kind, about 80 migrant workers under Border Road Organisation (BRO) have availed various benefits including medical assistance, maternity benefits, and insurance under the Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (NBOCWWB) during a programme held at 89 BRTF camp in Sechu-Zubza under Kohima district on Friday.
The Nagaland government has constituted NBOCWWB to provide social security to this section of workers. While other construction workers have registered and availed the schemes from the board, the scheme for migrant workers under BRO was the first of its kind. Accordingly, the board began its field registration of migrant workers at 89 BRTF camp in Sechu-Zubza on Friday.
The chief executive officer of NBOCWWB, T Chubayanger, highlighted the benefits and schemes available for the building and other construction workers. He informed that the Board runs five welfare schemes including a 'tool grant,' where registered beneficiary who annually renew their registration would receive INR 1000 as assistance for purchase of tools. In the Insurance Coverage, the registered and active beneficiary or dependents could claim INR 2,00,000 in case of natural death and INR 4,00,000 in case of accidental death.
Under the medical assistance benefits, the active beneficiaries or their family members could claim financial assistance of INR 1000 per day for the first five days and INR 500 for the next 10 days on continuous hospitalisation. Towards this, NBOCWWB is collaborating with the department of Health and Family Welfare, to cover all active beneficiary members under Ayushman Bharat, he said. He added that the beneficiary members, whose names are already seeded, could claim financial assistance up to INR 5,00,000 per annum for themselves or their family members.
The board also provides education scholarships where a maximum of two children of registered and active beneficiary members studying from Nursery to Class 10 could avail financial assistance of INR 500 per child per month. Under the maternity benefits, registered and active women beneficiaries or wives of registered and active beneficiary are provided additional medical assistance of INR 6000 per delivery up to a maximum of two deliveries, he added.
As to who can become a beneficiary, the CEO said that workers engaged in building and other construction workers, who are above 18 years and below 60 years. On verification and approval of membership by competent authority, a beneficiary would be registered and issued an identity card and a unique registration number.
Welfare benefits involving money are all direct beneficiary transfers. There are no cash hand-outs, he informed.
About 30,000 migrant workers have registered with the board but active members stand at around 18000, he further informed. He added that they received good response of migrant workers from Mon, Noklak and Longleng districts.
NBOCWWB chairman, Kekhrie Yhome, said that building and other construction workers are one of the most unprotected sections of the unorganised labour in India. He said their work is short-term and working hours are uncertain, while the relationship between employer and employee is temporary.
In addition, he stated that there was also a constant risk to their life and limb at the workplace. Keeping all these in view, he stated that the central government introduced various schemes to provide social security to construction workers.