The Delhi government has decided to start a "Doctor on Wheels" scheme under which routine health check-ups will offer to workers at construction sites, an official statement said on Monday.
The government also announced the starting of "mobile creches" where children of construction workers will get better day-care facilities with modern services at the sites.
These two new schemes were announced by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia after chairing a meeting of the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board on Monday, according to the statement. Sisodia said the two new schemes will benefit construction workers across the city.
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"Doctor on Wheels scheme will facilitate routine check-up of workers at construction sites... The Kejriwal government will also launch unique mobile creches for children of construction workers at sites where they will get better day-care facilities with modern services," the statement quoting Sisodia said.
Sisodia, who also holds the labor portfolio, claimed that despite stalled construction activities due to the Covid pandemic and pollution, the AAP government supported construction workers by providing more than Rs 600 crores in aid.
"The Kejriwal government is running 17 welfare schemes for construction workers and financial assistance of Rs 13 crore was given to construction workers last year," he said. Earlier this year, the government introduced a facility of free bus passes in DTC buses for construction workers. In the meeting, officials informed the minister that at present more than 17 lakh applications have been received by the board for getting the labor card, according to the statement.
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In order to ensure that only the eligible people get its benefit, the Deputy CM directed the officers to get the social audit done by an independent agency. For this, a two-member panel will be formed which will send its proposal to the board for audit and it will be done accordingly, the statement said. It also said the Delhi government will upgrade the website of its Construction Labour Welfare Board to provide better and easier access to beneficiaries.
The statement said the Kejriwal government also provides financial assistance for the education of children of construction workers and had distributed Rs 12.35 crore to 16,000 students so far. Under this scheme, the government provides annual scholarships worth Rs 6,000 to students of classes 1-8, Rs 8,400 to students of classes 9-10, and Rs 12,000 to students of classes 11-12, it said.
"Under this scholarship, Rs 4.8 crore has been distributed to 8,062 children of class 6-8, Rs 4.1 crore to 4,888 children of class 9 and 10, and Rs 3.4 crore to 2,841 children of class 11-12," the statement added.
