Commissioner Secretary Labour and Employment, Saurabh Bhagat, made his maiden visit to the Office of CEO/Secretary, J&K Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (JKBOCW)in Srinagar and reviewed the overall functioning of the Board.The CEO/Secretary JKBOCW, Muzaffar Ahmad Pir, accompanied the Commissioner Secretary for inspection of the Building complex. The CEO/Secretary briefed the Commissioner Secretary about the process being followed for the disposal of the various welfare cases in the office along with record keeping.The Commissioner Secretary while appreciating the manual process of disposal of welfare cases being followed in the CEO Office, laid emphasis on the fast-tracking of the digitization of legacy data. He said that the migration to the online mode of sanctioning of the welfare schemes was the best possible solution to ensure that timely disposal is done as per the timelines declared in recent notification issued by the Government for the welfare schemes of the Board under the Public Service Guarantee Act, 2011. He also directed that a cut-off date should be decided beyond which cases should be processed in online mode on the portal of the Board (www.jkbocw.gov.in) for new workers registered on the portal and those old registered workers whose profiles have been migrated to the online portal.
The Commissioner Secretary took a review of the Cess Management in the Board and while taking cognizance of the fact that 1% Cess deducted from building/construction works was the only source of fund for the Board and that compliance was poor with respect to the private sector in the State. He issued directions to the CEO/Secretary to suggest ways for improving compliance within the State as the financial outgo is going to increase with increasing registrations and newer schemes in the future.He also used the occasion to direct all the Assistant Labour Commissioners in the State to play a very proactive role as Cess Collectors and Assessment Officers, especially in Jammu and Srinagar districts where large-scale developmental activities are being undertaken in the private sector.The high burden on the Office of CEO/Secretary was brought to the notice of the Commissioner Secretary and he assured that the administrative department shall take steps to strengthen the staff in the office to cope up with the workload in the office. The Commissioner Secretary appreciated the overall work culture and upkeep of the office and stressed that the grievance, if any, of the staff, should be addressed. While interacting with the staff, the Commissioner Secretary directed that staff should gear up for meeting timelines under PSGA and should consider the work they do as a privilege to serve a very underprivileged and neglected section of our society.Commissioner Secretary exhorted the staff to realize that their work was improving and having a positive impact on the life of 3.5 lac workers and their families. At the same time, he emphasized that due diligence should be exercised and norms are followed while disposing off welfare cases in the office.