Bihar govt transfers Rs 802 crore to 16.4 lakh to construction workers

The Bihar government on Wednesday transferred around Rs 802 crore to the accounts of 164 lakh construction workers under an annual scheme on the occasion of Vishwakarma Puja reported news agency PTIThe state also launched a web portal of the Mukhyamantri Pratigya Yojna on the occasion which coincides with the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra ModiThe Bihar Assembly Elections are scheduled to be held later this yearA total of around Rs 80246 crore was directly transferred to the accounts of 164 lakh construction workers by the Chief Minister CM Nitish Kumar during a function at 1 Anne Marg his official residence in Patna PTI reportedAccording to a statement issued by Kumarrsquos office ldquoThe amount was transferred under the Annual Clothing Assistance Scheme which has been increased to Rs 5000 per worker Earlier each registered construction worker used to receive Rs 2500 annually in their bank accountsrdquoThe scheme was launched in 2020 under the Bihar Building and Other Construction Workers Rules 2016 to assist eligible and registered construction workersDeepak Anand Secretary Labour Resources Department told PTI that this year the Bihar government decided to transfer the amount on the occasion of Vishwakarma PujaldquoWe have been working from the beginning to bring the most marginalised sections of society into the mainstream The remarkable progress Bihar has achieved across various sectors has been made possible due to the invaluable contribution of our worker brothers and sisters The government is consistently working for their welfare On this occasion I extend my congratulations and best wishes to all our worker brothers and sistersrdquo the CM saidHe also instructed the labour resources department to launch a campaign to identify and register any leftout workers the statement from the CMrsquos Office readWhile launching the web portal for the Mukhyamantri Pratigya Yojana Kumar said that the scheme is an ambitious initiative by his government towards empowering the youth of Bihar and preparing them to meet employment requirementsUnder the scheme internship opportunities will be provided in the manufacturing and service sectors enabling the youth to gain practical experience financial support and enhanced employment prospects the statement saidIn the 202526 fiscal around 5000 internship opportunities will be made available under the scheme which will be operated through a dedicated digital platform and will serve as a bridge connecting the youth and industriesIn a post on X earlier in the day Kumar said ldquoToday is the day of worship of Lord Vishwakarma Vishwakarma Puja the divine architect of the universe and it is also the birthday of PM Narendra Modi jee The PM is tirelessly working with complete dedication for the upliftment of the country and its citizens without stopping or getting tiredrdquoHe further wrote ldquoIt is a happy coincidence that today funds are being transferred to the accounts of workers under the Bihar Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare BoardrdquoWith PTI inputs