We did a rapid survey with 30 workers from construction sites in Delhi NCR in December 2020.

Despite the spotlight on the BOCW card due to the cash transfers provided from the BOCW fund during the lockdown, a vast majority of the workers we interact with on a daily basis are still unaware of it. There are more than 1 crore workers in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, of which only around 24 lakh have an active BOCW certificate as per the estimates of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Lack of awareness about BOCW card and schemes Through these interactions, we have observed that there are three key reasons why workers don’t avail these benefits. We support them to register for and avail benefits of the BOCW schemes. Till March 2019, only 39 percent (less than INR 20,000 crore) of the INR 49,675 crore of cess collected had been utilised.Īt Haqdarshak, we have worked with more than 10,000 construction workers in Delhi NCR alone.

Despite these benefits, data shows that funds in the BOCW cess go unutilised. Once the BOCW card is made, workers can use it to apply for and avail of various social security benefits such as medical assistance, maternity benefits, accident cover, pension, educational assistance for their children, assistance to family members in case of death, group insurance, loans, funeral assistance, and marriage assistance for their children. The Construction Workers Welfare Board-set up by states and union territories under the BOCW Act and the BOCW Welfare Cess Act of 1996-is an alien entity for most Indian construction workers. Out of the estimated 5 crore construction workers in India, less than 3.5 crore workers have it.

Kumar’s interest in the BOCW card is not surprising. “Had I known about this earlier, I would have started availing its benefits by now,” he said. When Nitish Kumar, a construction worker from Bihar working at a Noida construction site learnt about this card, he was quick to show his intent to apply for it. The Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) card is a document that allows construction workers to access a host of welfare benefits.

What is bocw act in hindi