After announcing an evacuation plan for migrant sugarcane workers, the Maharashtra Government on Saturday declared a financial assistance of ₹2,000 each for nearly 12 lakh construction workers affected by the COVID-19 lockdown. The assistance will be paid to workers registered with the Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, said Labour Minister Dilip Walse-Patil.
“During the lockdown period, buildings and other structures in the State are closed. Construction workers do not get employment every day because they have no work. Therefore, they have to face many obstacles to meet the basic needs of daily life,” he said.
The decision was taken during a meeting on Saturday attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and other State ministers.
The government also has a pool of construction cess collected from developers when the construction workers were allowed to work at sites. Various welfare schemes have been implemented for the workers based on assistance from the Cess Fund, which is deposited with the Board. A sum of nearly ₹250 crore would be drawn from the fund for this purpose, officials said.
“The Maharashtra Vikas Aaghadi government stands firmly behind workers affected due to the lockdown. ₹2,000 per construction worker has been announced by the government. This will benefit 12 lakh construction workers in the State,” said Cabinet Minister Balasaheb Thorat.
