New building cess to help masons

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb 25: “The state government will collect one per cent tax (cess) on the valuation of a constructed building, which is more than Rs. 10,000,00 as contribution to welfare fund for unorganised labourers like masons and their helpers”, the minister of state for labour department , Mr Anadi Sahu said.The minister said that the government had already directed the labour department to execute the plan through its concerned department including the civic bodies. District administrative officials said that municipal affairs department has already sent the order to the civic bodies for its execution collecting one per cent tax from the building owners before passing construction plan. “Even the government department will have to pay one per cent tax on total value of its own building for the welfare fund”, they said. The minister Mr. Anadi Sahu also said the government has planned to bear cost of electricity connection charges to Bidi workers. Nearly 15 lakh biri workers in the state would be getting cost of electricity connection charges from the government. Addressing a camp for distribution of financial assistance to the labourers in unorganized sector in Malda on Saturday , the minister announced that Biri workers would submit application for electricity connection to the labour department. “The officials of the labour department would contact the electricity department to provide connection of electricity to them. The government will pay Rs. 2,500 for each connection to the electricity department”, Mr. Sahu said. Just two months before the panchayat polls, the minister today announced several labourers’ welfare schemes to organise thousands of labourers in the unorganized sector. He said that the government planned to enroll the labouers in unorganized building construction sector within two months and urged the labourers to enlist their names to avail the benefit of government's welfare schemes. He stressed to implement provident fund schemes for labourers belong to building construction. He announced pension scheme for masons and labourers where government will pay Rs. 400 to 600 per month if they contribute Rs. 20 per month under the schemes. Besides, the government will provide Rs. 2000 twice to the women labourers for maternity benefit, Rs. 1000 per year for education of children, Rs. 15,000 for medical expenses.The labour department would grant loan of Rs. 50,000 for their own building construction, he added. According to the minister, the state government will give a total of Rs. 22,500 to each registered Biri worker including housing cooperative scheme in vest land. The minister criticised the transport owners for not paying their contribution for the welfare of workers in transportation sector. The government has planned to set up residential schools for orphan child labourers, he said.