Assam CM orders probe into Rs 139 crore scam of Construction Workers’ Welfare Fund

The Assam CM while reviewing the functioning of the board at his conference room at the Janata Bahwan took notice of huge discrepancies of fund of the Board and ordered investigation of the case by CM’s Vigilance Cell.

It is to be mentioned that one percent of total construction cost of any building or construction project must be deposited into the fund of Assam Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board for carrying out different welfare activities for the construction workers.

A total amount of Rs 139 crores was collected by the Board during the previous year but the there was gross irregularity in the expenditure of the fund.

The Assam CM was apprised that the amount of Rs 71 crores was spent for printing leaflets, booklets, folders etc for awareness purposes and Rs 1.96 crore was spent for erecting hoardings.

Also Rs 8.51 crores was shown being spent for running awareness campaigns on electronic media and another Rs 74 lakhs for print media awareness campaigns.

Another shocking revelation was the expenditure of Rs 50 crores rupees for printing forms and registers.
     
Taking stern view of this gross irregularity and financial anomaly, Sonowal said that these corrupt practices must be exposed and the guilty must be brought to book who have misused the fund meant for poor constructions worker’s benefit.

“As these irregularities happened during the tenure of the previous Chairman of the Board, he must be also brought under the purview of the investigation,” Sonowal said.  
        
The Assam CM also directed Labour and Welfare Department to streamline the registration of construction workers by starting online registration and also to take steps to build skilled workforce in the state by providing skill training to workers.

He also said that skilled construction workers would be able to find employment outside the state as well apart from finding employment in the infrastructure related projects within the state.
        
Minister of State for Labour and Welfare Department Pallab Lochan Das, Legal Adviser to the Chief Minister Shantanu Bharali, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Lohia, Commissioner and Secretary Labour and Welfare Department Tapan Chandra Sarma were also present in the meeting.

Earlier, the Assam CM had directed to probe into the Rs 2250 crore scam in Social Welfare department, Directorate of Information and Public Relations office.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)