The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Union Labour Secretary to be personally present before it for explaining what Centre intends to do for the welfare of urban labourers involved in construction work.
A social justice bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit slammed the Centre for not placing before it the proposals for utilising Rs 27,000 crore collected through construction cess which is to be spent for the welfare of labourers.
In the last hearing, the bench had said that it was very shameful and disturbing that Centre was not concerned about the welfare of urban workers.
“We are extremely disturbed. Governments are sitting over Rs 27,000 crore but laboures are not getting any benefits. The governments must file affidavits stating the names of labourers who benefitted from the fund with their Aadhaar number and we will get it verified,” the bench had said.
“It is a shameful and amazing situation as the amount is not spend on laboures and the government used the fund for other purposes,” the bench had said, adding, “Let’s stop collection of cess immediately.”
According to the data placed before the Supreme Court, around Rs 4,179 crore cess was collected by eight states in the last three years and only 8.6 per cent – about Rs 361 crore – was spent for the welfare of construction workers.
States of Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh have collected Rs 868 crore in 2011-12, Rs 1,606 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 1,705 crore in the last financial year.
The Building and other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Rule provides for levy and collection of cess on the cost of construction incurred by employers and the amount would be deposited with the Building and Other Constructions Workers Welfare Boards.
The Supreme Court is monitoring the implementation of the social welfare act and had earlier directed all the states to set up boards to frame and implement welfare schemes for the benefit of construction workers.
Under the act, every state is required to constitute a welfare board to provide financial assistance for children’s education, medical treatment etc. The board is also supposed to give financial help in case of accidents and provide pensions, loans and group insurance to workers.
The court took the task of ensuring implementation of the welfare law after a PIL was filed by an NGO, National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour, alleging that the state governments which collected the cess was not passing on the amount to the welfare boards to extend benefits to workers as contemplated by the act.
A social justice bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit slammed the Centre for not placing before it the proposals for utilising Rs 27,000 crore collected through construction cess which is to be spent for the welfare of labourers.
In the last hearing, the bench had said that it was very shameful and disturbing that Centre was not concerned about the welfare of urban workers.
“We are extremely disturbed. Governments are sitting over Rs 27,000 crore but laboures are not getting any benefits. The governments must file affidavits stating the names of labourers who benefitted from the fund with their Aadhaar number and we will get it verified,” the bench had said.
“It is a shameful and amazing situation as the amount is not spend on laboures and the government used the fund for other purposes,” the bench had said, adding, “Let’s stop collection of cess immediately.”
According to the data placed before the Supreme Court, around Rs 4,179 crore cess was collected by eight states in the last three years and only 8.6 per cent – about Rs 361 crore – was spent for the welfare of construction workers.
States of Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh have collected Rs 868 crore in 2011-12, Rs 1,606 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 1,705 crore in the last financial year.
The Building and other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Rule provides for levy and collection of cess on the cost of construction incurred by employers and the amount would be deposited with the Building and Other Constructions Workers Welfare Boards.
The Supreme Court is monitoring the implementation of the social welfare act and had earlier directed all the states to set up boards to frame and implement welfare schemes for the benefit of construction workers.
Under the act, every state is required to constitute a welfare board to provide financial assistance for children’s education, medical treatment etc. The board is also supposed to give financial help in case of accidents and provide pensions, loans and group insurance to workers.
The court took the task of ensuring implementation of the welfare law after a PIL was filed by an NGO, National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour, alleging that the state governments which collected the cess was not passing on the amount to the welfare boards to extend benefits to workers as contemplated by the act.