Funds idle, boards defunct, workers unsafe in Gujarat: Report
Ahmedabad: A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has reportedly revealed a serious governance failure in Gujarat’s Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) welfare system, despite the state collecting nearly Rs 4,787.60 crore in construction cess since 2006.
The state has failed to build a transparent and accountable framework to protect the rights and welfare of its vast construction workforce. Critical boards remain defunct, thousands of posts lie vacant, and a staggering 47% of the funds remain in government accounts, as reported by The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
The CAG’s report, tabled in the Gujarat Assembly last week, assessed the implementation of the BOCW Act, 1996, which mandates a three-tier structure: a welfare board, an advisory committee, and a dedicated fund. However, the report highlights systemic neglect in all three areas.
The Gujarat BOCW Board, meant to include representatives from the government, employers, and workers, has been operating with just one member—the Labour Department's Principal Secretary—since November 2017. For five years, key decisions affecting thousands of workers were made without any representation from workers or employers, added the report.
Further compounding the issue, the State Advisory Committee (SAC), required under Section 4(1) of the Act to guide policy, has not been constituted since 2011. In its absence, expert oversight on safety regulations, welfare schemes, and fund allocation has been missing.
Moreover, the Welfare Fund was reportedly never formally set up. Instead, cess collections were diverted into a government account, forcing the Board to rely on irregular grants.
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Trump says suspect was armed with multiple weapons at WH correspondents' dinner
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump is addressing reporters at the White House after he and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after a shooting incident outside the ballroom.
Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before stopped by Secret Service. One officer was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.
