CM Dhami Urges Construction Workers to Renew Board Registration
Synopsis
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has urged all construction workers in Uttarakhand to renew their registration with the state's Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board periodically, ensuring continued access to health, education, and pension benefits funded under the central 1996 labour law.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on 25 July 2026 publicly urged construction workers to renew their board registrations periodically.
The appeal targets workers registered with the Uttarakhand Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board .
Active registration is mandatory to access welfare benefits including health cover, education assistance, and pensions.
The board operates under the central Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996 , funded by a 1–2 per cent cess on construction project costs.
The appeal reflects the state's focus on strengthening the social security net for Uttarakhand's large unorganised construction workforce.
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand, on behalf of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Saturday, 25 July 2026, issued a public appeal to all construction workers in the state to periodically renew their registration with the Uttarakhand Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The appeal, shared via the official CMO account, was directed at the unorganised labour force engaged in building and construction activity across the state.
Addressing workers directly, CM Dhami stated — 'मैं सभी श्रमिक भाई-बहनों से आग्रह करता हूँ' ['I urge all my worker brothers and sisters'] — that they must ensure their registrations with the board are renewed from time to time so they remain eligible for the welfare benefits the board provides.
Context
The Uttarakhand Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board is the nodal body responsible for registering construction labourers and channelling welfare benefits to them. Workers must maintain an active registration to access schemes covering health assistance, education support for children, and pension benefits. A lapsed registration effectively cuts a worker off from these entitlements, making periodic renewal a critical administrative step.
The appeal comes amid sustained infrastructure expansion in Uttarakhand, which has drawn a large migrant and local construction workforce to projects across the state, including road development, hydropower infrastructure, and urban construction in cities such as Dehradun.
Policy Backdrop
The board draws its mandate from the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, a central legislation that obligated all states to establish dedicated welfare boards for construction labourers. The system is financed through a cess of 1 to 2 per cent levied on the cost of construction projects, creating a dedicated fund for worker welfare.
Uttarakhand's board operates within this national framework, mirroring similar bodies across Indian states that collectively cover millions of workers in the unorganised sector. The cess-funded model is designed to ensure that the growth of infrastructure directly contributes to the social security of the workers who build it.
Stakeholders and Impact
The primary beneficiaries of this appeal are construction and building labourers — one of the largest segments of India's unorganised workforce — who often miss renewal windows due to lack of awareness, seasonal migration, or administrative hurdles. An active registration is the gateway to benefits that can include medical cover, maternity assistance, and scholarships for workers' children.
CM Dhami's direct address to 'worker brothers and sisters' signals that the state government is treating registration renewal as a welfare-access priority rather than a routine compliance formality. Labour welfare advocates have long argued that the gap between registered and actively enrolled workers remains a structural challenge for boards across India.
What's Next
Workers in Uttarakhand are advised to follow official notifications from the Labour Department and the board for specific renewal windows, documentation requirements, and any linked benefit disbursals. The state government's appeal is expected to be accompanied by outreach at construction sites and through district labour offices to ensure the message reaches workers on the ground.
The broader policy direction under CM Dhami points toward strengthening the social security net for the unorganised sector, and this appeal may foreshadow further announcements tied to the state's labour welfare agenda in the coming months.
Point of View
High-visibility signal of the state government's commitment to unorganised labour welfare ahead of what could be a broader push under the 1996 central framework. The emphasis on 'periodic' renewal suggests the government is aware that lapsed registrations are a persistent gap between policy intent and actual benefit delivery — a problem common to construction welfare boards across India. By framing the appeal in direct, familial language aimed at workers themselves rather than administrators, the CMO is attempting to bypass the bureaucratic bottleneck that typically causes renewal failures. This positions the Dhami government's labour outreach as people-facing rather than purely procedural, which carries political salience in a state with a significant migrant and seasonal construction workforce.
NationPress
25 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How do construction workers renew registration in Uttarakhand welfare board?
Construction workers in Uttarakhand must contact the Uttarakhand Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board or their district labour office to renew registration. CM Dhami has urged all workers to do this periodically to retain access to welfare benefits.
What benefits does the Uttarakhand Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board provide?
The board provides benefits including health and medical assistance, education scholarships for workers' children, maternity support, and pension — all funded through a cess levied on construction project costs under the central 1996 Act.
What is the Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996?
The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 is a central Indian law that requires every state to establish a welfare board for construction labourers, financed by a 1–2 per cent cess on construction costs.
Why is registration renewal important for construction workers in Uttarakhand?
An active registration with the welfare board is the only way workers can access state-funded benefits. A lapsed registration disqualifies workers from health cover, education aid, and pension schemes until renewal is completed.
Who is Pushkar Singh Dhami?
Pushkar Singh Dhami is the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, serving since 2021. He has focused on state development and worker welfare programmes, and recently made a public appeal for construction workers to renew their welfare board registrations.
