New Delhi: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked the labour department to explore the possibility of providing all registered labourers in the capital free travel in public buses. He also directed officials to explore the possibility of providing subsidised housing to them.
In a meeting to review the ongoing projects of the department, which was attended by labour minister Raaj Kumar Anand and senior officers, the chief minister also asked them to assess the possibility of providing group life insurance to the labourers.
While there are 13.4 lakh workers registered under Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, the number of those who have got the DTC bus pass made for free travel is very less.
Officials said the CM has directed the officials to explore the possibility of providing each worker with a free bus pass, in addition to those who are already availing of the facility. He asked the officials to discuss with the DTC whether the government can pay a standard charge for these passes and the workers can get to use the buses for free.
“This way, the DTC will earn revenue and workers will also get a free bus pass. We can actively persuade these workers to come and collect their bus passes. A lot of people do not even know of the schemes available to them,” he said.
The Delhi government has already made the commuting of women passengers free in public buses.
Kejriwal emphasised that the labour department should prepare a plan within a week for positive and effective use of the funds available with it.
He further urged the department to speed up the registration of workers under various schemes.
The CM said if government schemes are publicised properly, 25-30 lakh workers would get registered with the board. He said nearly 23.5 lakh workers were registered with the Centre’s e-shram portal.
“We have made so many schemes for our workers, but many don’t come forward to avail them. We should try to get the workers to register under our schemes to provide them with maximum benefits,” Kejriwal said.
“Can we launch some ‘carpet bombing’ scheme where everyone is benefited? For example, during Covid, all workers were benefited regardless of whether they applied or not,” the CM added.
He asked the department to make disability related schemes more accessible. Kejriwal also directed it to start a scheme on the lines of the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana to provide free coaching to children of construction workers.
