Goa activists allege scam in scheme meant for construction workers, demand probe

Activists in Goa have alleged a rip-off within the registration of beneficiaries beneath the Goa Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Scheme, and demanded an inquiry into how people who find themselves clearly not development labourers have registered their names to obtain advantages beneath the scheme.

According to a grievance filed earlier than the Panaji Police in addition to earlier than the Commissioner of Labour and Employment, a gaggle of seven activists has alleged that not less than a number of of the round 15,000-odd beneficiaries who obtained funds beneath the scheme, have been in reality folks related to political events. They mentioned that these individuals are elected representatives on the village stage and have companies not linked with development labour.

“Among these there are many panches and sarpanches who have registered. For now we have one name of one Mohini Tari who was a former sarpanch. We have heard that there are others as well who are candidates of political parties at the district panchayat elections,” Kashinath Shetye, who filed the grievance together with six others, informed mediapersons.

The cash beneath the scheme is supposed for labourers affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Tari approached the labour commissioner to return the cash claiming that it was wrongfully credited to her. But activists declare that a couple of dozen different folks have been recognized as being wrongful recepients of the cash meant for labourers.

The police are but to register an FIR in reference to the case.

There are round 15,491 labourers registered beneath the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Fund that’s maintained by the Goa Labour Welfare Board.

A complete of Rs 5.63 crore was launched to the beneficiaries again in March this yr as a one time grant beneath the scheme that was meant to assist development staff tide over the lockdown. Each beneficiary beneath the scheme was granted Rs 6,000.

“We are demanding that this be checked and the money should be returned. And it shouldn’t end there because they have falsified affidavits claiming that they are laborers. There should be action against them. I don’t know how they are registered,” Shetye alleged.

Under the scheme beneficiaries need to submit a certificates by a labour contractor stating that they’ve spent not less than 90 days in a yr working at a development web site with the intention to proceed to obtain advantages beneath the scheme.

The activists declare that they have no idea the entire variety of bogus beneficiaries registered beneath the scheme however mentioned that an inquiry into the matter would reveal the true extent of the rip-off.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, when requested to touch upon the alleged bogus beneficiaries, mentioned that the matter wanted to be probed on the stage of the Labour Commissioner. “Let him look into it. Why should I say anything. These beneficiaries have been added over the last many years,” Sawant mentioned.

What piqued the curiosity of the activists was when, again in April, Sawant learn out a listing of beneficiaries of the scheme to make a degree that the majority of them have been Goan. Sawant was dealing with criticism that the Goa authorities was going out of its approach to assist migrant labourers whereas neglecting locals affected by the pandemic.

Realising the misery within the development labour sector, the central authorities had issued directives to all states to launch funds for Building and Construction cess for beneficiaries beneath the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.

Accordingly, every registered employee obtained Rs 6,000 of their financial institution accounts.