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Mangaluru: The Labour Department and the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board have intensified their drive to identify fake building workers in the state and have declared 2.43 lakh labour cards as “ineligible”. The action aims to prevent non-genuine construction workers from availing government benefits meant exclusively for real building workers.

In the undivided Dakshina Kannada region, the demand for labour cards has been high due to the availability of various welfare schemes. However, the verification process has also affected some eligible workers, officials said.

As part of the drive, 1,779 fake labour cards were identified and cancelled in Dakshina Kannada district, while 1,838 cards were cancelled in Udupi district. These cancelled cards cannot be renewed, and holders will no longer be able to avail government benefits through them. Officials said those seeking a fresh card must work as a building worker for at least 90 days and then submit a new application. In cases where registration was cancelled due to technical reasons, re-registration is permitted after fulfilling all eligibility conditions.

Labour department officials said most of the fake cardholders were not construction workers but daily wage labourers or people engaged in other professions.

Eligibility criteria:

To register as a building worker, an applicant must have worked for at least 90 days in construction or related work during the previous 12 months. Required documents include an employment certificate, Aadhaar cards of the applicant and dependents, a bank passbook copy, and a mobile number linked to Aadhaar. The age limit is 18 to 60 years. Registered workers are eligible for benefits such as pension, tool kits, maternity assistance, education aid, medical assistance, accident compensation and marriage assistance.

Strict checks during registration:

Along with cancelling existing ineligible registrations, authorities have tightened scrutiny during new registrations. Due to these measures, the number of registered construction workers in Karnataka has dropped from 52.04 lakh earlier to around 31 lakh now. In Dakshina Kannada, registrations have come down from 1.44 lakh to about 78,000 active workers. In Udupi district, out of 80,000 registered workers, only around 40,000 are currently active.

Concerns of eligible workers:

Labour leaders said that genuine workers are also facing difficulties due to the strict verification process. In Dakshina Kannada district alone, about 10 to 15 per cent of eligible workers are reportedly affected, facing issues related to pensions and other benefits. Labour leader Yogeesh Jeppu said the welfare board should also address these problems while taking action against ineligible cardholders.