The Odisha government has asked the Economic Offenses Wing of Odisha Police to probe into the alleged embezzlement of death benefits of construction workers in Rayagada district by showing them as deceased.
State labor and employment minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia told the State Assembly on Tuesday that his department has asked the EOW to probe into allegations of former Rayagada district labor officer Jasmine Subhadarshini Sahu and her associates using dubious methods to swindle government funds meant for families of hundreds. of deceased construction workers under Nirman Shramik Kalyan Yojana of the state.
Responding to a question on death benefits to the families of construction workers in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Khuntia said the mastermind of the scam, former district labor officer of Rayagada Jasime Subhadarshini Sahoo and her associates have been accused of forging documents and using Non-existing mobile phone numbers as contact details to generate fake death certificates. Sahoo has been suspended.
The Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, created under the Building and Other Construction Workers (RE&CS) Act, 1996, gives 2 lakh to the next of the kin of a deceased construction worker in case of accidental death and 1 lakh in case of natural death. A cess of 1% is collected from all ongoing construction projects to provide welfare benefits to registered construction workers across the State. Those who are registered with the OBOCWWB are entitled to assistance in case of accidents or deaths, as well as support for funeral, medical, marriage, maternity, and educational needs. Besides, workers are provided with assistance to acquire working tools, bicycles, safety equipment, and to build houses, or upgrade their skills.
In the last two financial years, death benefits were given to 1,599 next of the kins of the deceased construction workers in Rayagada district, of which the deaths of 1,200 may have been forged in government records by a cabal of officials, trade union leaders and middlemen. .
Verification revealed funeral and death benefits of at least six construction workers were availed without the knowledge of the actual nominees. At least 20 death cases were verified on a single mobile phone number issued in the name of Kusulia, a member of Odisha Forestwood Agriculture and Building Construction Workers Union. In one case, funeral and death benefits of a construction worker named Laxmi Majhi were released despite she being alive.
So far, over 42.66 lakh people have registered as construction workers with the OBCWWB. Cumulatively, 4,571.84 crore has been collected in Odisha, while ₹3,588 crore has been spent.
