Benefits of welfare schemes to reach workers directly; special drive coming soon.

June 18, 2026

In a significant move aimed at the social and economic empowerment of construction workers, the Punjab Government has announced a special statewide campaign to facilitate the free registration of construction workers and the renewal of existing registrations.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said the initiative aims to register nearly one million construction workers across the state and ensure that they have direct access to government welfare schemes, social security benefits, and skill development programs. Special camps will be organized in both rural and urban areas to ensure that no eligible worker is left out of these benefits.

Addressing the initiative, the Chief Minister Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board was established to safeguard the welfare, social security, and socio-economic development of construction workers through registration, financial assistance, and various welfare schemes. He noted that despite the availability of adequate funds, lengthy processing times had prevented many welfare programs from achieving their full potential.

Emphasizing the need to expand the reach of welfare benefits, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann pointed out that the Welfare Board currently has approximately 221,000 registered workers, a relatively low figure considering the rapid pace of construction and urbanization across Punjab. To address this gap, the government will organize additional registration camps throughout the state.

The Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also announced that the Punjab government will waive the registration fee during the special campaign to encourage greater participation. He explained that workers are often reluctant to register because they are required to pay a fee of ₹145. To promote both new registrations and renewals, applicants will not be required to pay this fee during the campaign.

Under the initiative, the Punjab government aims to register around one million workers and will bear the estimated cost of approximately ₹15 crore associated with the fee waiver. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann further stated that the government would continue to support workers even after registration. Workers who do not avail themselves of any welfare benefits within one year of registration will have their registration fees covered by the state government.

The Labour Department has also been instructed to organize special evening registration camps in villages, recognizing that many workers return from work during those hours. This measure is expected to improve participation and ensure broader coverage.

The Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann directed officials to improve facilities at labour chowks, where workers gather in search of employment. He called for the construction of shelters and the provision of safe drinking water so that workers do not face hardship while waiting for work opportunities.

Highlighting reforms already undertaken by the government,  Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said significant progress has been made in reducing delays in processing welfare applications. He noted that the average processing time for welfare schemes stood at 203 days during the 2022–23 financial year but has now been reduced to 73 days. He described the reduction as a major achievement, as lengthy processing periods had long been a significant obstacle for workers seeking assistance.

Stressing the importance of skill development, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann directed the Welfare Board to share details of 50,000 registered construction workers with the Punjab Skill Development Mission. He said that skill training should be conducted at construction sites, training centres operated by the Punjab Skill Development Mission, and camps organized by the Welfare Board.

The proposed training programs will focus on specialized trades that can improve workers’ skills and earning potential, including masonry, bar bending and fixing, shuttering carpentry, scaffolding, quality assurance, construction painting, electrical works, surveying, road and runway construction, interior and exterior finishing, fabrication, drafting, and other related construction fields.

The Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also directed officials to ensure that women construction workers benefit from the Punjab Government’s flagship welfare initiatives. He specifically instructed the Welfare Board to facilitate financial assistance for eligible women workers under the Mawan-Dhiyan Satkar Scheme.

Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian and other senior government officials were also present during the meeting.