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Step 1: Getting the labour card

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What is BoCW labor card?

A BoCW labor card is an official identification card issued to construction workers who are eligible under the BoCW Act.

Why is the possession of a labor card from BoCW mandatory for construction workers?

In Karnataka, Possession of a labor card from the Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW) is mandatory for construction workers for several key reasons:

  1. Employment certificate- to prove work in B&OC for 90 days in the preceding year
  2. Aadhaar Card (with linked mobile number)
  3. Ration card (now not mandatory, till 6 months ago was mandatory for renewal)
  4. Age proof (e.g., Voter ID or Aadhaar)
  5. Nominee and children's correct name and age details

What is the process to get a 90-day employment certificate?

A pop-up containing the list of 90 days working certificates will be shown.

Labour can then click on the download option to download the required 90 days working certificate based on the issuer of the certificate.

Which four authorities issue 90-day work certificates?

  1. Labour Inspector
  2. Employer
  3. Registered Labour Union
  4. Gram panchayat
  1. Labour has worked 90 days in BoCW
  2. Construction worker should age between 18-55 

Key factors for obtaining a labor card for construction workers: Critical and enabling factors.

Benefits

Amount (Rs.)

Frequency

Applies to

Contribution by worker (Rs.)

Time specified (days)

Time taken (days)

Fee specified (Rs.)

Money spent (Rs.)

Timeline for submission

BOCW Card

-

-

BoCW Worker

-

45

60-90

50

 

After 90 days of work in B&C

 

Why do construction workers often fail to receive the benefits they are entitled to from various schemes?

Potential factors leading to exclusion from the benefits of schemes under BoCW at different phases

Lack of awareness and trust among workers-

  • Once application gets rejected there is no refund. So, workers are apprehensive of wasting money and go via agencies.

Lack of supporting documents-

  • Many times workers leave their necessary documents at native place when they come for work, especially migrants from UP & Bihar
  • Having a bank account with an Aadhar-linked mobile phone is a prerequisite, and many workers do not meet this requirement
  • Names, age and address don’t match in different docs

Lack of resources-

  • In certain instances, workers' essential documents are kept at their hometowns, and their families there do not possess smartphones to send images of necessary documents, such as Aadhar cards, ration cards, PAN cards, and bank passbooks

Lack of cooperation-

Policy design issues- 

On-ground implementation issues-

  • Petty labourers don’t get the seal/ sign of contractors as they work irregularly at different site
  • Physical verification of hands to figure out person is working sand and cement
  • At the time of verification, worker may switch to another worksite hence not available on previous construction site when he applies
  • Petty labourers don’t get the seal/ sign of contractors as they work irregularly at different sites
  • Another example: a person drives a vehicle supplying water on construction sites. When the labour inspector calls for verification, he says I am a driver. So, the application gets rejected.

Tech related

  • BOCW website doesn’t stay up for more than 10 minutes at a stretch- it frequently takes them 5 hours to fill one application form
  • Technical glitches like photo size and space also pose an important challenges while uploading docs
  • Some CSOs take money from applicants to apply for cards/ schemes
  • Cyber centres bribe officers to get work done
  • For all Aadhaar linkage work, OTP comes to the applicant’s phone but they refuse to cooperate because they are at work or don’t see phones for a long time. So this application process needs to be repeated multiple times as OTP has time-bound validity.
  • Workers don’t remember the login details which remain with CSOs, so trust building takes time.

Documents-

Aadhar seeding-

Registration process-

Annual Renewal-

Tech/ website related-

What measures does the CSO undertake to offer resolution to laborers regarding matters related to the BoCW labor card?

  • Certain CSOs enroll construction workers into unions, and these unions assume the comprehensive responsibility for addressing labor card issues, including renewal, corrections, and updates, such as  Sampark and Grakoos.
  • Mitr Sanketa, which primarily serves domestic workers but also offers assistance to construction workers, showcasing a broader commitment to supporting various segments of the informal sector.
  • Mitr Sanketa takes an additional step by liaising with government departments to personally collect the paperwork required for laborers' card applications and access to various schemes.
  • Jansahas is an example of a CSO that underwent a qualifying test to obtain the license for Seva Sindhu, the government portal used for registering laborers, updating their Aadhar information, and applying for various schemes. This was achieved by establishing a community service centre.