Bant: The state government has taken up a host of welfare measures for construction labourers, but due to lack of awareness, their rate of registration has been dismally poor, more so among women in Bant block of Bhadrak district.
Various labour organisations have blamed the administration and the labour department for not educating the labourers.
In order to uplift the labourer class, the government has made provision of free tools, safety gears, bicycles, pucca houses, study assistance to their kids, aid for marriage of their daughters, their children’s medical expenses and insurance among other things.
Social activists say, the district labour officer has been assigned the responsibility of registering labourers in the district, but such registrations have not been vigorously taken up in Bant block.
The people have lamented that thousands of construction labourers working in rural pockets have been left out of the registration process.
Consequently, despite working in the construction sector, many workers have been deprived of the government benefits until they were identified and registered.
According to sources, the block has registered 6,949 construction workers and 152 of them are women.
Surprisingly, only 44 construction workers belong to the Scheduled Tribes category in the block while the number of women workers is only 19.
In case of Scheduled Caste category, the number of male workers registered is 600 and that of women is 152.
Social activists and local labour outfits demanded that the district administration should take up proactive measures to raise awareness among labourers while no construction workers should be left out of their entitlement being provided by the government.
Orissa POST corresponded tried to contact district labour officer Kuber Behera, but he was not available to have a take on the issues.