Chandigarh, April 17
Haryana Labour Minister Anil Vij on Thursday said that portal IDs of construction workers registered with the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board will soon be reactivated if their work slips are found to be genuine, following a state-led probe into alleged fake registrations used to claim benefits under government schemes.
Vij said a proposal to reactivate the IDs of eligible workers had been submitted to a high-level government committee, which has approved the recommendations. The move is expected to restore access to welfare benefits for workers whose records have been verified as authentic. Work slips serve as proof that a construction worker has completed at least 90 days of work in the preceding year, making them eligible for various government benefits. However, a recent investigation into the issuance of these slips revealed significant irregularities.
According to the findings, nearly 90 per cent of the work slips examined were found to be fake. Of the total 21,78,523 slips scrutinised, only 2,70,945 were verified as valid, while 19,07,578 were identified as fraudulent. Officials said that workers use these slips to avail benefits under welfare schemes, with the average assistance amounting to around Rs 2.5 lakh per worker. Preliminary estimates indicate that the suspected fraud could involve funds of about Rs 1,500 crore. Vij said that, based on the committee’s recommendations, district-level grievance committees will be set up to address complaints and concerns of workers and to strengthen oversight mechanisms.
The probe was initiated after Vij urged Chief Minister Nayab Saini to order an investigation into the alleged irregularities. The government subsequently formed committees to examine the disbursal of funds to beneficiaries. These panels conducted physical verification of online work slips across all 22 districts over the past two years and confirmed widespread discrepancies.
The minister said that work slips linked to benefits availed under schemes running since 2008 may also be examined as part of the ongoing scrutiny. The government’s next steps are expected to focus on restoring benefits to genuine workers while tightening verification processes to prevent future misuse of welfare schemes.
