New Delhi [India], December 18 : Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra said the government has decided to provide financial assistance to construction workers affected by curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) due to rising air pollution levels in the national capital.
On Wednesday, Mishra said GRAP-3 remained in force in Delhi for 16 days, during which all construction activities across the city were suspended, severely impacting daily wage labourers dependent on the sector. With GRAP-4 now in effect, restrictions have further intensified, prolonging the hardship faced by construction workers.
"Under GRAP-3, when construction work was completely halted in Delhi, workers were the worst affected. In view of this, the Delhi Labour Ministry has decided that all registered and verified construction labourers will be given Rs. 10,000 each as GRAP-3 compensation through direct benefit transfer (DBT)," the minister said.
He added that once GRAP-4 restrictions are lifted, the number of days for which GRAP-4 remained in force would also be taken into account, and registered construction workers would be compensated accordingly.
He said, "When GRAP-4 is revoked, the number of GRAP-4 days will also be counted, and the registered construction workers will be duly compensated."
Mishra said the registration and verification process for construction workers is underway and urged them to complete their registration on the Delhi government portal at the earliest. He assured that the government would verify applications promptly to ensure timely assistance.
He said, "I request all the workers to register as quickly as possible on the Delhi portal. We will verify the registrations, and if construction work is halted in the future, we will ensure that all construction workers, male or female, are not economically disadvantaged. Our chief minister will definitely ensure that. "
Stressing the government's commitment to protecting workers' livelihoods, Mishra said the Delhi government would ensure that construction workers, both men and women, do not suffer economic losses during future pollution-related shutdowns. He added that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta would always provide adequate support for workers affected by construction halts imposed to tackle air pollution.
The announcement comes amid continuing restrictions in the national capital under GRAP measures aimed at curbing deteriorating air quality.