#THREAD on construction workers, a flimsy safety net, one-time assistance of Rs 5000 each to those "registered". Also, a Delhi govt school project, a labour camp and its "working from home" families
In Delhi, the amount will be transferred to bank accounts of 32,358 workers registered with the board. Around 9000 more will receive the assistance once their applications are "processed". So Delhi doesn't have even 50,000 construction workers? If yes, what about the rest?
Firstly, not even a fraction of the labourers know about the board. Many who do know fail to clear the registration process. And those who manage to clear struggle to remain on the rolls. Even in 2015, there were over 3 lakh workers registered in Delhi, over 1 lakh as "active"
By 2017, the number had dropped to around 63,000. Under the law, workers are expected to renew their cards annually. The AAP had in 2015 briefly made it triennial, only to make it annual again. Most can't. Then came a verification drive and later a 12-page form.
Applicants have to share own/family Aadhaar numbers; present/permanent address proof; last workplace address where applicant worked for over 90 days; name/contact details of contractor; details of registered union of which applicant is a member; colour photos; details of bank a/c
End result: Barely 33,000 workers are currently registered. Around 9000 applications are being processed. And this is just Delhi, having a welfare corpus of little over Rs 2000 crore. Factor in other states, the corpus runs into over Rs 30,000 crore https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/2015-to-2020-registered-construction-workers-fell-from-over-3-lakh-to-40000-6342976/
The workers building this school are "unregistered". Not entitled to any assistance. At Rs 450/day, they are not even being paid minimum wages. They happen to "work from home" though. From a slum within the school premises. With no work, where do they go? https://www.google.com/amp/s/indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-at-cr-park-those-building-a-govt-school-are-case-study-india-lockdown-6342977/lite/