india

Updated: Apr 18, 2020 16:55 IST

The Maharashtra government will provide financial assistance of Rs 2000 to all the registered construction workers in the state to tide over the crisis during the lockdown to break the chain of coronavirus infections, officials said on Saturday.

This one-time monetary help will be sent directly to the bank accounts of more than 12 lakh construction workers through direct benefit transfer (DBT), the officials said.

The decision to give the assistance, taken by the state labour department on Saturday, will bring an additional burden of around Rs 250 crore to the state exchequer.

“To contain the spread of Covid-19 epidemic, lockdown is being imposed in the state. This has led to shutting down of all the construction works across Maharashtra. Consequently, construction workers have no work. They have to stay at home and are also facing a financial crisis as they have no source of income,” an order issued by the labour department said.

“Considering this, the state government has decided to provide financial help to all the registered and active construction workers,” it said.

The order came days after hundreds of migrant labourers, mostly from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, gathered outside the Bandra railway station demanding that they be sent back to their homes.

Only those workers who are registered with the state’s Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (BOCWWB) will be eligible to get the monetary assistance.

Their registration is also expected to be active, which means renewed every year, said SC Srirangam, the board’s secretary and chief executive officer.

Also read: Coronavirus cases in India rise to 14,378, death toll at 480

Maharashtra has 22.70 lakh registered construction workers but only 12.18 lakh who are active, will get benefit of the decision, Srirangam said.

Meanwhile, the state has decided to allow construction work in cities, including Mumbai and Pune, with a rider that prior permission from civic authorities will be mandatory.

According to the order issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta on Friday, the state has given permission for all urgent pre-monsoon works. The Maharashtra government has started to allow relaxation of rules in several areas of the state.

The new rules will come into effect from April 20.