Shillong, May 1: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday announced and launched a series of welfare initiatives for labourers and construction workers during the state-level celebration of International Workers’ Day held at U Soso Tham Auditorium in Shillong.
Organised by the Office of the Labour Commissioner, the event was attended by Labour, Employment and Skill Development Minister Methodius Dkhar, along with workers, labourers and representatives of the working class from across the state.
Highlighting the government’s focus on inclusive growth, Sangma said the state’s push towards a $10 billion economy aims to benefit all sections of society, particularly workers. He noted that Meghalaya has been maintaining a growth rate of around 10 per cent and currently has over 5,000 projects worth Rs 2,900 crore under implementation, generating employment for nearly 20,000 people.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that Meghalaya offers one of the highest wages for unskilled labour in the country, with a daily rate of Rs 525, placing it among the top states in this category.
Emphasising welfare measures, he said the state has collected nearly Rs 400 crore as labour cess, which is utilised to provide health, accident, pension and educational benefits to registered workers. He urged labourers to register themselves to avail of these schemes.
During the programme, the Chief Minister launched multiple initiatives aimed at strengthening worker welfare and livelihoods. These included CM LIGHT (Chief Minister’s Labour Income Grant for House Builders and Trademarks), which provides direct financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to active registered construction workers, and ENABLE (Enhancing Necessary Ability for Better Learning Environment), a scheme to support repair and renovation of educational institutions while reserving 5 per cent of seats for children of registered workers.
He also introduced BUILD (Boosting and Upgrading Infrastructure for Livelihood and Development) to promote infrastructure development and job creation, and distributed startup toolkits to trained beneficiaries to support self-employment in construction-related trades.
In addition, the Digital Labour Chowk mobile application was launched to streamline the registration and verification of construction workers, ensuring better access to welfare benefits and job opportunities.
The state also announced coverage of registered workers under social security schemes such as PM-SYM, PMJJBY and PMSBY through the welfare board.
Sangma reiterated that while economic growth remains a priority, ensuring that its benefits reach the common people is equally important. He also distributed cheques, sanction letters and other benefits to workers during the programme.
