Strengthening Social Security for Construction Workers: Policy Synergy and Skill Development

The construction sector remains one of the largest employers of informal labor in India, yet it continues to face systemic challenges regarding social security, occupational safety, and skill recognition. The recent national conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW), organized by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment in partnership with the Maharashtra government, served as a critical platform to address these gaps. The deliberations focused on moving beyond mere registration of workers toward a more robust, technology-driven welfare ecosystem. A central theme of the conference was the necessity of 'cooperative federalism' in the implementation of the BoCW Act. While the Act mandates the creation of Welfare Boards at the state level, the efficacy of these boards varies significantly across the country. The conference highlighted that for welfare measures—such as education scholarships, health benefits, and pension schemes—to reach the last mile, there must be seamless data integration between the Centre’s e-Shram portal and state-level databases. This synergy is essential to ensure portability of benefits, particularly for the highly mobile migrant construction workforce.