CHANDIGARH: Announcing a major turnaround in construction workers' welfare, Punjab Labour Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond revealed that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government has streamlined processes, cutting application processing time from 165 days to just 62 days. This move has led to a surge in benefits, with 45, 578 workers receiving Rs. 146.77 crore since April 1, 2025 – nearly 10 times the Rs. 14.73 crore disbursed to 4, 977 workers in the previous government's last financial year.
The Minister asserted that the data itself clearly reflects the difference in the working and commitment of the two governments.
While replying to a query in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that apart from other public welfare initiatives, the Mann Government has also streamlined the functioning of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board to ensure timely financial assistance to registered construction workers. He added that their government is working hard to further reduce the processing time limit to only 45 days.