By Imna Longchar
Dimapur (Nagaland), Nov 11: Chairman, Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (NBOCWWB), Dr. Kekhrie Yhome, on Thursday said that any government agencies whether central or state departments engaged in any civil works is under legal obligations to pay one percent cess of the total project cost.
Dr. Kekhrie said “cess” is not a “revenue” and cautioned that cess defaulting department officials may face legal actions which may affect employment service, fines or even imprisonment.
He called upon the various establishments to maintain financial honesty, and timely payment of cess in order to avoid financial burden on public expenditures.
Emphasizing on the welfare of the construction workers, Dr. Kekhie said the local (Naga) construction workers are negatively discriminated especially the migrant workers and added that there is a “serious gap” in priorities.
Therefore, he said it was priority to improve the conditions of all the local (Naga) building and construction workers through training and skill developments as well as formulate comprehensive studies on the challenge of wage, labour, migration, and the financial systems of money circulation and local economy.
It may be mentioned that the NBOCWWB provides social security to the building and other construction workers and their families by implementing different welfare schemes especially designed for the purpose.
It conducts awareness and sensitization programmes for the local workforce to make them aware of the importance of construction related activities and its viability in the economic upliftment of their families.
The welfare board also conducts regular training programmes for training local youths to start participating in construction activities and conducts further skill up-gradation training for those who are already involved as a worker in construction, in order to enhance their earning capacity by enhancing their skills.
Kiphire district being one of the aspiration districts of the country, the welfare board have conducted special trainings for workers in the district in brick masonry, Floor tiling and Electrical, where altogether 114 workers were trained during the special training programme.
