Jaipur: The labour department is preparing to roll out a large-scale skill development scheme to train about 14 lakh registered construction workers and their dependants in construction-related and non-construction skills.The department will use up to 10% of the annual labour cess collected under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, to fund the initiative.The proposed scheme, to be implemented through the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board, aims to provide both construction-related and non-construction skill training to improve employability and expand livelihood opportunities beyond the construction sector.
State labour secretary P C Kishan said the department is exploring partnerships with the Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC), the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), besides other govt agencies and private organisations, to deliver certified training programmes.“We can use up to 10% of the total labour cess collected annually for the skilling of construction workers. Our objective is to skill all 14 lakh active construction workers in a phased manner,” Kishan said. He added that construction workers would undergo short-term, 15-day job-oriented courses, while their dependants could receive advanced training based on their educational qualifications.The proposed programme draws inspiration from similar initiatives in Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Unlike these states, which have implemented the scheme by converging it with the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Rajasthan plans to roll it out using its own funds generated through the cess collected by the BOCW Board.For construction workers, the training is likely to include courses such as construction fitter, assistant electrician, assistant mason, bar bender and steel fixer, shuttering carpenter, and construction painter and decorator.The department is planning to offer industry-linked courses to workers’ dependants in emerging sectors, including corporate office operations, data analytics, digital marketing, web designing, graphic design, motion graphics, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, cloud computing, video editing, database design and development, data science, mechanical and civil design modelling, and game development.“The initiative is expected to enhance the employability of construction workers and create alternative career opportunities for their families while making better use of welfare funds collected under the BOCW Act,” said Kishan.
