Context: Recently, the Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched the Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW) Management Information System (MIS) portal, aiming to enhance welfare schemes for BoC workers across India.

Key Points

• The BoCW MIS portal was launched to centralize data management for better decision-making and welfare policy formulation for BoC workers.

• States and Union Territories are required to register on the portal, updating details on fund utilization, worker registration, and benefits from various central and state social security schemes.

• As of June 30, 2024, around 5.7 crore workers are registered with the Building and Construction Workers Welfare Boards, and approximately Rs 1.15 lakh crores have been collected in cess funds, with over Rs 66,000 crores spent on welfare schemes.

• The Ministry is working to extend benefits from central government schemes to BoC workers, including the approval of Ayushman Cards for 1.3 crore workers under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

• More than 85,000 workers have received insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PM-JJBY), and 1.24 lakh workers have been protected against disability under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PM-SBY).

• States like Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh have used cess funds to construct schools for the children of BoC workers, and other states are encouraged to undertake similar initiatives.

About Building and other Construction Workers (BoCW) Management Information System (MIS) portal

• It is a centralized data management portal which aimed at improving the welfare of Building and Other Construction (BoC) workers across India.

• It compiles and analyzes data from the BoCW Welfare Boards of different States and Union Territories (UTs) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of welfare initiatives for these workers nationwide.

• Launched by: Ministry of Labour & Employment

• Objective: To enable States and UTs to make informed decisions and frame more effective welfare policies for BoC workers.

Features

• States and UTs can ensure better use of the BoCW Cess Fund for welfare activities by updating their data on the portal.

• The portal helps to track fund usage, register workers under various schemes, and ensure that they receive benefits like social security, insurance, health care, and housing.

• It is integrated with the e-Shram portal which simplifies access to government schemes and ensure complete welfare coverage for BoC workers