Summary of key issues in accessing schemes

Workers face a number of issues in accessing schemes and these are summarised on this page. BoCW schemes do not have any components that address social deprivations except scholarships for children.

DELIBERATE EXCLUSIONS

1. of certain job profiles within the sector: certain construction job profiles, like gardeners and parking area employees, are not covered.
2. some components are available based on domicile in state such as marriage allowance.
   
3. Digital exclusion: those without smartphones (or any phone at all)
4. Against the backdrop that the BoCW schemes do not have an underlying SC/ST component, schemes for the upliftment of SC/ST communities managed by the SC/ST Corporation are primarily for locals, leading to exclusion of SC/ST migrants.

SCHEME AWARENESS/ KNOWLEDGE related challenges

1. Awareness is limited: Workers lack awareness of available schemes, in some cases even after having spent 20 years in this occupation.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION related challenges

1. Documentation related gaps: Issues with supporting documents, including Aadhaar card discrepancies, name/age mismatches, absence of bank passbooks, and challenges in Aadhaar seeding for bank accounts.

TECHNOLOGY/ PROCESS related challenges

1. Systemic problems: The Seva Sindhu portal experiences intermittent slowdowns, and there are limitations on document upload size, often restricted to around 2 megabytes.
2. Resource constraints: Lack of personal smartphones or having to share them, coupled with difficulties in remembering login details.
3. Scheme components such as Pensions falling under the Revenue department are more difficult to obtain whereas basic health, accident, and other entitlements under the jurisdiction of the Labor department are much easier to obtain procedurally.
   
4. Scholarship documentation: Tight timelines and documentation challenges for scholarships requiring income and caste certificates. While income certificates are valid for 5 years, caste certificates remain valid for life. However, individuals often discover their expired income certificates when applying for scholarships, resulting in missed deadlines.

BEHAVIOURAL challenges

1. Trust concerns: Some other CSOs charge fees, hesitancy in sharing documents, and reservations about using cyber cafes affect trust.