Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta delivered a strong statement in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, criticising the previous government for making lofty declarations about workers’ welfare that, she alleged, failed to translate into meaningful action.
She revealed that ₹5,200 crore remained unused in the Labour Welfare Fund, while thousands of workers continued to wait for essential support and benefits.
Speaking during a discussion on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for the financial year ending 31 March 2023—pertaining to the welfare of building and other construction workers—the Chief Minister alleged that the previous government had been negligent and displayed an anti-labour approach.
Gupta demanded that the matter be immediately referred to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), and further urged stringent action against all officials and ministers responsible for failing to uphold the rights and welfare of Delhi’s workers.
Quoting the CAG report, the CM highlighted how funds allocated for various schemes—including maternity benefits, disability support, tool purchases, housing assistance, family pensions, accident compensation, and skill development—remained either unutilised or grossly underutilised over several years.
She also pointed out that while the Central Government offers registration and renewal services to workers free of cost, the previous regime in Delhi imposed a fee of ₹25 for registration and ₹20 for renewal.
Gupta claimed that this unnecessary burden resulted in only 7% of workers’ data being renewed annually in Delhi, compared to 100% at the national level.
According to her, it was only after the Supreme Court’s intervention that the issue was brought to light, even as the Delhi government continued to sit on substantial welfare funds.
The CM recalled how the apex court had rebuked the Delhi government, questioning why only ₹2,000 had been disbursed per worker when the approved assistance was ₹8,000.
“Where did the remaining ₹6,000 go?” the court had asked, underscoring the government’s failure to deliver the full benefits due to workers, Gupta said.
She described it as “deeply unfortunate” that despite having rightful access to these schemes, lakhs of workers in Delhi were allegedly deprived of their entitlements.