Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service
Patiala, December 27
The state government will reimburse around Rs 4.58 crore which was spent on the vaccination of registered construction workers and their family members to the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.
It has been learnt the Labour Department has already asked the Finance Department to take steps in this regard in the recent 28th meeting of the board. The meeting was chaired by the Chief Minister himself, wherein the Labour Department asked officials to reimburse the money citing the free supply of vaccination to the entire population by the central government.
The Tribune had been highlighting the paid vaccination of construction workers while others were being jabbed for free. The Labour Department had to transfer around Rs 7.04 crore to the Health Department for the vaccination of registered construction workers and their family members. Ironically, other beneficiaries of the state were being jabbed free of cost.
The decision to bear the cost of vaccination from the labour welfare fund was taken on May 7 under the chairmanship of the then Chief Secretary. Of the Rs 7.4 crore, the Health Department has already returned around Rs 2.49 crore to the Labour Department after the labourers moved the Punjab and Haryana Court against the spending of welfare money of construction workers on Covid vaccination.
Sardara Singh, a labourer, said, “The government should act against officials who siphoned off the money meant for labour welfare. Besides, the government should return our money with interest.”
Government to reimburse Rs4.5 cr to workers' fund
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