Chandigarh, April 3 Haryana Labour Minister Anil Vij said on Friday that nearly 90 per cent of the work slips examined during an investigation into irregularities in the labour department were found to be fake, indicating a major scam.
He said a portal will soon be opened and IDs will be reactivated for workers whose work slips have been found valid.
According to an official statement, Vij said that reports have been received from committees constituted in all 22 districts under the chairmanship of deputy commissioners to probe irregularities related to work slips under the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
The investigation revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the work slips were found to be fake, the statement said.
Of a total of 2,178,523 work slips examined, only 2,70,945 were found to be valid, while 1,907,578 were identified as fraudulent, it said.
Earlier in January, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini constituted a high-level inquiry committee while taking serious note of alleged irregularities related to the verification of work slips and registration of workers in the labour department.
The committee was directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and submit its detailed report to the government to ascertain the irregularities committed by various officials and other individuals.
The development came days after Vij had claimed serious irregularities related to work slips (work receipts), which had been prevailing for a long time in the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the scam could amount to approximately Rs 1,500 crore, with Vij then writing to the Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, recommending a thorough investigation.
Vij, on Friday, highlighting the seriousness of the issue, said that major irregularities in work slips under the Welfare Board had recently come to light due to vigilant oversight.
In view of the gravity of the matter, Vij said he had earlier requested the Chief Minister to initiate a thorough probe by a reputed investigation agency.
"Subsequently, the government directed the formation of a high-level committee to submit a comprehensive report on funds disbursed to fake workers," he said.
He further said that initial investigations were conducted in Hisar, Kaithal, and Jind districts, where large-scale irregularities were detected.
Following this, instructions were issued by the labour minister to deputy commissioners across all districts to form district-level committees comprising labour department officials and three additional officers.
These committees carried out physical verification of online work slips, confirming that approximately 90 per cent were fake, with only a small proportion found to be genuine, Vij said.
Vij said that currently, an investigation has been conducted in 22 districts of the state covering a period of the last two years, whereas this scheme has been in operation since 2008 by the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
He said the work slips of labourers who have availed benefits under the schemes running since 2008 can also be investigated.
"This suggests that the estimated scam amount of Rs 1,500 crore for the current two-year period could increase further, potentially reaching thousands of crores of rupees," he said.
Vij added that action is also being considered to punish those found guilty in the investigation.
It has become clear that in many places in villages/cities, people were fraudulently registered and work slips were generated so that ineligible persons could avail the benefits of government schemes, he added.
On average, a worker receives benefits worth around Rs 2.5 lakh under various schemes. "Those who are not eligible are availing benefits. This is outright loot, causing the government a huge financial loss," he said.
He added that the Haryana government implements several welfare schemes for construction workers, including maternity and paternity benefits, education assistance, scholarships, reimbursement for technical education, pensions, marriage assistance, medical aid, housing loans and accident compensation, aimed at empowering genuine workers.
These benefits should reach only those workers who are duly registered after verification of at least 90 days of work, and to receive these benefits, workers must register with the labour board, which is granted only after verification, he said.