Chief Minister Rekha Gupta Tuesday flagged off four ‘Namo Shramik Seva Kendra’ vans that will travel to construction sites, labour chowks and other areas with a high concentration of workers to provide registration and other welfare services at their doorstep.
The mobile centres were launched as part of the Delhi government’s ongoing ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, which began on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday and is being held to mark his 25 years in public service. The government said the initiative was aimed at reducing repeated visits by workers to government offices and improving access to welfare schemes, particularly for construction workers.
Services at doorstep
The vans will function as mobile service centres, providing registration and renewal facilities, information about government schemes, assistance with documentation, access to digital services and guidance on welfare benefits.
Gupta said one of the major hurdles in extending welfare benefits to construction workers was the absence of systematic registration. By taking the registration process directly to places where workers are employed or gather for work, the government hopes to bring more eligible beneficiaries within the welfare system.
Workers will be able to complete registration procedures on the spot when the vans visit construction sites, labour chowks and other identified locations.
Construction workers need to be registered with the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) to access benefits available through the board. The mobile initiative is intended to bridge the gap between workers who are eligible for assistance and those who remain outside the system because of registration or documentation hurdles.
13 vans planned
While four vans were flagged off Tuesday, the government plans to deploy a total of 13 such mobile units in the coming days, with one van assigned to each district of the Capital, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.
The vans will follow designated routes covering areas with significant numbers of construction workers. Besides fresh registrations, they will help existing beneficiaries with renewals and provide information on documentation and the process for accessing government benefits.
Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra said the initiative would help ensure that construction workers were not deprived of welfare benefits because of inadequate information about registration procedures and government schemes.
The government said workers often faced difficulties in navigating registration requirements or accessing digital services, particularly when their work required them to move between construction sites. The mobile centres are intended to provide a single point of assistance closer to their workplaces.
Part of outreach drive
The initiative forms part of the month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, being held from September 17 to October 17. The campaign includes welfare and public outreach programmes covering health, worker registration, sanitation, education and other civic services.
The Delhi government has also planned special camps and outreach initiatives across the city during the campaign, with the broader objective of taking services closer to beneficiaries.
With the mobile Shramik Seva Kendras, the government is focusing specifically on construction workers, for whom registration with the welfare board remains the gateway to accessing benefits.