The Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board has been working to make construction workers in Nagaland aware of their rights and entitlements.
Limasenla Jamir
Mokokchung | November 14
The Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (NBOCWWB) was established by the State Government in accordance with Section 18 of the BOCW (RECS) Act, 1996, to register construction workers in the State and to offer social security to the registered workers and their families. The office of the welfare board is established in the Directorate of Labour.
The NBOCWWB implements various welfare programmes that have been especially created for the purpose of providing social security to building and other construction workers and their families.
The NBOCWWB provides five welfare schemes which include tool grant, life insurance coverage, medical assistance, children’s education allowance and maternity benefit for women beneficiaries. Any construction worker in Nagaland above 18 years and below 60 years of age can avail the mentioned welfare schemes.
Lanuzulu, hailing from Mokokchung village, is a registered member of NBOCWWB. When he first registered for the scheme in 2018, his account was credited with Rs 1000 as assistance for purchase of tools. He renews his registration annually for a fee of Rs 300 to keep his membership valid and continue to receive benefits from the other schemes.
Lanuzulu also benefits from the children education allowance scheme under NBOCWWB. Under the children education allowance, a maximum of two children of registered and active beneficiary members studying in nursery to class 10 can avail a financial assistance of Rs 500 per month.
“As a daily wage earner with an unsteady income, it becomes very difficult to take care of my five children,” said Lanuzulu. “But with the assistance from NBOCWWB I am able to pay fees for my two elder children,” he added.
Simon Chang, a father of three children, from Yaongyimti New village said that the educational allowance has been of great help for him as he is able to cover the fees of two children who are in class 10 and 9 respectively. Simon is an active registered member since 2018. Appreciating the efforts of the officials from the NBOCWWB, Simon added that the office regularly reminds them to renew their cards through calls and text messages.
NBOCWWB also offers life insurance cover for death due to any reason in line with the central schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). Registered and active beneficiary members or dependents can claim Rs 2,00,000 in case of natural death and Rs 4,00,000 in case of accidental death.
According to Toshi Aier, Regional Officer, NBOCWWB Mokokchung, each year around 7-10 life insurance claims are given. For the year 2022, so far four dependents have claimed the life insurance cover for death from the Mokokchung Regional office.
Atula Lemtur is a maternity benefit beneficiary from Sungratsu village under Mokokchung district. “I was informed about this scheme by one of my relatives when I was about to deliver my second baby. My husband and I both registered ourselves as active members and when I delivered, I received Rs 6000,” she said. “Apart from the maternity benefit, we are also benefitting from the children education allowance for my two kids who are already in school,” she added.
Additionally, NBOCWWB also provides medical assistance under which a financial assistance of Rs 1000 per day for the first five days and Rs 500 per day for the next 10 days on continuous hospitalization is provided to registered beneficiaries, spouses and children.
Although the Central Government and State Government have introduced a number of programmes for construction workers, many local workers, particularly those in villages, are not aware of the programmes. Many workers, particularly those working in stone quarries and as electricians, are unaware that their line of work actually belongs in the construction industry.
In one of the awareness and field registration campaigns of the NBOCWWB in Mokokchung, T Chubayanger, CEO, NBOCWWB informed that out of more than 32,000 registered members in the state, there are hardly 16,000 active beneficiaries. In Mokokchung district, there are 3,702 registered construction workers, out of which 1,729 are active members.
NBOCWWB in its effort to reach out to all construction workers in the state have started awareness campaigns and filed registration. Any construction worker can register themselves by contacting their respective NBOCWWB regional headquarter or by visiting their website https://nbocw.nagaland.gov.in/about
This is the last of a five-part series highlighting the experiences and challenges faced by the construction industry in Nagaland, as part of the Kohima Press Club and Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Media Fellowship.
