Workers are 'real architects' of growth and development: Omar

"You are the real architects of growth and development and your hands turn the decisions into reality," Omar said at a function here, where he launched the initiative of providing financial assistance to the registered labour classes associated with building and other constructions.

Complimenting the workers, the chief minister said the decision of launching projects and formulating schemes for infrastructure development will remain on paper unless the work force convert these into reality by their hard labour.

Omar announced a package of incentives including enhancement of minimum wages, ex-gratia relief and pension for work force with effect from January, 2013 at the function held at SKICC.

The chief minister had some months ago set the Labour Department in motion directing the Building and Other Construction Workers Board (BOCWB) to move forward in a time bound manner for registering workers and collecting cess for distribution among them and which resulted in the registration of 1,42,000 workers and collection of Rs 185 crore worth cess for distribution among them as a welfare measure.

Omar said that in a meeting to review the functioning of BOCWB, he found that the important aspect of delivering welfare measures to the labour classes needed considerable push.

"As such, I gave instructions of catapulting the registration process and collection of cess for the distribution amongst the workers," Omar said, adding that he is happy that much headway has been achieved in this direction since then.

Omar asked the state Labour minister to move a proposal of bringing registration of workers and delivery of assistance to them under Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) so that the work force gets benefited holistically.

He said the time bound delivery of welfare measures, including financial assistance to work force would be a far reaching measure to make them and their families happier.