Step 1: Getting the labour card

What is a BoCW labour card?

A BoCW labor card is an official identification card issued to construction workers who are eligible under the BoCW Act. This is the first basic document required to avail entitlements under the BoCW Act.

What are the eligibility criteria for obtaining a BoCW labor card?

Labour must have proof of engaging in building and other construction (B&OC) work for a minimum of 90 days in the previous year can be validated by a labor inspector, employer, registered labor union, or gram panchayat.
Construction worker should be between 18-55 years
Engaged exclusively in construction work or positions such as mason, plumber, electrician, etc. Workers in roles such as those assigned to parking areas or gardening are not considered as construction workers.

What are the requirements to obtain a BoCW Labor card?

Employment certificate- Proof of engaging in building and other construction (B&OC) work for a minimum of 90 days in the previous year. This can be validated by a labor inspector, employer, registered labor union, or gram panchayat.
Aadhaar Card- linked to a mobile number
Bank passbook copy- mandatory for money related transaction
Ration card (Note the recent change: now not mandatory; till 6 months back was required for renewal)
Age proof- for example, Voter ID or Aadhaar card
Nominee's bank pass book copy
Nominee and children's correct name and age details

Link to register for labour card

Link to renew labour card

Common reasons why construction workers fail to receive the benefits under BoCW schemes?

Lack of awareness and trust among workers-

Workers who have been here for 20 years don't know about their entitlements.
Applicants are reluctant to share all docs/ information with CSOs. This is especially true for recent migrants.
Once application gets rejected there is no refund. So, workers are apprehensive of wasting money and go via agencies.
Applicants, especially recent migrants, are hesitant to disclose all documents and information to CSOs (Civil Society Organizations).

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
Petty laborers often face challenges in obtaining the seal or signature of contractors for work certificates since they work irregularly at various sites
When coming for work, particularly migrants from UP and Bihar, individuals often leave their documents at their native places.

Lack of resources-

Lack of access to smart phones and in many cases a single phone number used by multiple members of the household. With a single phone number, if both father and son are laborers, only one gets the benefit albeit both have phone linked Aadhaar cards.
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
Workers often change their phone numbers frequently, and their Aadhar numbers may not be linked to their current phone numbers

Lack of cooperation

Applicants are reluctant to share all docs/ information with CSOs. This is especially true for recent migrants.
Once application gets rejected there is no refund. So, workers are apprehensive of wasting money and go via agencies.
Some CSOs charge applicants fees for assisting in the application process for cards or schemes.

Policy design issues-

Migrants often require a local address to benefit from various schemes, but they are reluctant to change their address due to concerns about missing out on opportunities in their home states or to preserve important documents and proofs.

On-ground implementation issues-

Gardeners, parking area employees etc. roles not considered CW (trades like mason, plumber, electrician etc. are considered part of CW).
Mainly with respect to pension, registration should be done before the age of 55.
Labour should be registered as a labourer with the District Labour Office in his/her circle area.
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 with sand and cement
At the time of verification, worker may switch to another worksite hence not available on previous construction site when he applies
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.
Once application gets rejected there is no refund. So, workers are apprehensive of wasting money and go via agencies. rephrase

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
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-

Name, age and address don’t match in different documents.
Requires dedicated bank account passbook; many workers lack a bank account and not carrying bank passbook.

Aadhar seeding-

Aadhar-mobile link mandatory, but worker's frequent number changes cause repeated linking.
Single mobile number for many individuals.
No Android phone hampers remote Aadhar copy sharing, if cards at hometown.
Weak network or on-site work delays OTP receipt.
Hard labor affects accurate bio-metric fingerprints.
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.

Registration process-

Most laborers unaffiliated with CSOs, often resort to costly cyber-cafés; rejections lead to money loss, discouraging scheme registration.
Some CSOs take money from applicants to apply for cards/ schemes
Cyber center also bribes officers to get work done.
Workers don’t remember the login details which remain with CSO.
Once application gets rejected there is no refund. So, workers are apprehensive of wasting money and go via agencies.

Annual Renewal-

Muster roll or pay slip is required- not possible to obtain for ‘gig’ workers within CW. Trade unions can provide work certificate for 90 days but cannot provide muster rolls.
Dept is not accepting renewals w/o muster roll because many non-construction workers have enrolled. They are awaiting new format of muster rolls from the dept now. Workers with big builders don't have a problem.
Physical verification of hands to figure out person is working with sand and cement.
At the time of verification, worker may switch to another worksite hence not available on previous construction site when he applies.
The labor card requires renewal either annually or every three years. Workers, often failing to keep track, experience delays in renewal, leading to a loss of access to benefits.

Examples of CSOs going the extra mile to get work done

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 takes an additional step by liaising with government departments to personally collect the paperwork required for laborers' card applications and access to various schemes.
CFAR have set up a CSC (customer service centre) so can apply for schemes etc directly.

Annexure:

90-day work certificate template page

Link to download labour registration form