Awareness Camp Organised for Construction Workers at Aut; Former Minister Kaul Singh Thakur Administers Anti-Drug Pledge.
Shimla:
An awareness camp was organised at Aut in the Drang Assembly constituency of Mandi district by the Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board with the objective of disseminating information about welfare schemes for construction workers. Former Minister Kaul Singh Thakur attended the camp as the chief guest, while the programme was presided over by the Chairman of the Workers Welfare Board, Nardev Singh Kanwar.
Addressing the gathering, former Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said that the state government is taking several steps for the welfare of deprived and marginalised sections of society. He highlighted the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Aashray Yojana, under which orphaned and destitute children have been adopted by the government, which is bearing all their expenses related to living, education and upbringing. He added that through the Workers Welfare Board, several schemes are being implemented to provide social security to the labour class and urged workers to avail maximum benefits of these schemes.
Kaul Singh Thakur criticised the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the MGNREGA scheme, calling it reflective of an anti-Gandhi mindset. He said that the first-ever provision of Rs. 78,000 crore for the scheme was made during the tenure of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, but the present central government has repeatedly reduced its budget. He alleged that the new law proposed in place of MGNREGA is anti-poor and anti-village, aimed at benefiting big industrialists. He announced that protests would be launched at the panchayat level to oppose the law and compel the Centre to withdraw it.
Presiding over the function, Board Chairman Nardev Singh Kanwar said that the Workers Welfare Board is implementing 14 welfare schemes for the social and economic upliftment of workers and the general public. He said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s vision is to ensure that development schemes reach the last person in the village, and the board is working at the grassroots level to achieve this goal.
Kanwar informed that any worker who completes 90 days of work under MGNREGA or in building and construction activities becomes eligible for registration with the board. Once registered, workers are entitled to various benefits including marriage assistance, fixed deposits in the name of daughters, educational assistance, higher education support, hostel fee assistance, medical aid, death and accident compensation, old-age pension and special assistance for persons with disabilities. He further stated that the government is planning to provide financial assistance of Rs. 3 lakh for house construction to widowed, single and disabled women.
During the programme, former Minister Kaul Singh Thakur administered an oath to the participants to fight against drug abuse, including the menace of “chitta.” He said that under the state government’s anti-chitta campaign, people from all sections of society are being made aware to build a drug-free Himachal.
Prominent dignitaries present on the occasion included APMC Chairman Sanjeev Guleria, HPMC Director Joginder Guleria, Zila Parishad Member Rita Thakur, Mandal President Sanaur Damodar Negi, Kasna Gram Panchayat Pradhan Gopal Krishan, District Labour Welfare Officer Anil Thakur, Workers Board Organisation Treasurer Shobharam, Aut Panchayat Vice-Pradhan Shyam Vaidya, representatives of various panchayats and a large number of construction workers.
