Marking a notable stride towards social welfare, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has unveiled 17 pivotal welfare schemes. These encompass essential provisions such as disability pension and medical assistance, with the aim of directly benefiting the registered construction workers within the national capital. This affirmative decision was confirmed by officials familiar with the matter.

According to sources, the schemes will provide benefits through direct benefit transfer (DBT), employing Aadhar-based authentication for beneficiaries who are registered with the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (DBOCWWB).

Saxena has directed strict monitoring of the disbursement process to ensure that benefits are given only to the genuine beneficiaries and there are no leakages, officials at LG office said.  "The move aims at minimising leakages as in recent times, there were several instances of financial irregularities by providing benefits to ghost construction workers that are being probed by the Anti Corruption Branch," they said.

The approval of 17 welfare schemes by the LG for the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) comes with explicit directives for ongoing supervision and monitoring of disbursements tied to these initiatives, as reported by officials.

Sources indicate that financial assistance within the realms of disability pension, ex-gratia payment, medical aid, maternity benefits, compensation after death, and more will solely be distributed via direct benefit transfer (DBT) subsequent to Aadhar-based verification of eligible beneficiaries.

Highlighting the necessity for a transparent and fool-proof registration process for construction workers, the LG has proposed that deputy labor commissioners at the district level assume the responsibility of ensuring the clear and efficient execution of benefit transfers to authentic and entitled recipients. The LG further stressed the importance of concurrent efforts to verify the credibility of the registration procedure and the beneficiaries.

This move has been prompted by instances of reported "financial irregularities" within the operations of DBOCWWB, along with alleged "leakages" in the allocation of benefits across its diverse range of schemes, as per officials' statements.

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