New Delhi: Noting that only Madhya Pradesh and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu had reported creche facilities on the central portal for women construction workers, a Parliamentary committee has recommended that the Ministry of Labour explore the feasibility of involving NGOs for opening creches for women.
In a report titled ‘Safety and protection of women in unorganised sector’ tabled in Parliament, the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women, chaired by BJP MP D Purandeswari, also recommended extending the operating hours of the creches to match women’s work schedules (8 hours), ensuring childcare aligns with employment needs.
It also recommended a mandate of a fixed percentage of CSR funds for childcare and maternity support in the informal sector.
According to the report, The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, mandates comprehensive welfare measures for women construction workers.
These measures include provisions for first aid, clean, accessible and separate toilets, canteens, creche facilities and restrooms for women construction workers.
“However, from the submissions made before it, the Committee found that poor implementation of welfare measures in general and especially those aimed at women construction workers, including provision of creche facilities under Section 35 of the Act, mars the operation of the Act. This is a matter of grave concern for the Committee,” the report said.
The Committee sees that only Madhya Pradesh and the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu have reported provisioning of creches through the Building and Other Construction Workers Management Information System Portal (BOCW MIS portal).
The data on this matter about the other states/UTs has not been submitted, the report said.
“The Committee is of the considered opinion that the availability of data of only two states/UT on creche facility is a pointer to glaring gaps in the overall enforcement of the statutory welfare provisions meant for women and children,” it said.
The Committee strongly believes that the welfare of construction workers, who constitute a significant segment of the informal workforce, must be treated with utmost priority, it added.
“It is incumbent upon the government to take proactive measures to ensure that the benefits envisaged under the Act reach the intended beneficiaries in a timely, transparent and effective manner,” the report said.
“It is evident that the subject being of a concurrent nature warrants functional coordination between governments,” it added.
According to the report, the Committee strongly recommends that the Union government take the lead in prescribing a robust inspection mechanism, which may include periodic and surprise visits to construction sites to verify implementation of mandatory welfare facilities such as creches, toilets, first aid, and rest areas, particularly for women workers.
The Committee also observed that the PALNA scheme is “very good”, but it is a little slow in gaining momentum.
The PALNA scheme under Mission Shakti, also known as the National Programme on Anganwadi-cum-Creche (AWCC), provides quality daycare for children.
“The Committee is given to understand that some reputed NGOs have opened full-day creches and given skill training to women from the informal sector to become care workers and supervise the creches,” the report said.
“The Committee wishes to recommend including occupational health services in the Labour Code, for addressing risks for both manual and office-based women workers, to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare for informal women workers, and partner with local health centres,” it added.
