Dr Mansukh Mandaviya to Chair National Conference on Construction Workers in Mumbai

The Centre, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, is organising a National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers in Mumbai on September 11–12, under the chairmanship of Labour and Employment Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The conference will be attended by Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Labour Ministers and senior officials from States and UTs, Chairpersons and Secretaries of Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Boards and senior officers from Central and State governments. The construction sector is among the largest sources of employment in the country and supports the livelihoods of millions of workers.

With the implementation of the new Labour Codes, the conference provides an important platform to take stock of the evolving BOCW framework and strengthen the functioning of welfare boards. Deliberations will cover statutory responsibilities, worker registration, welfare delivery, monitoring and utilisation of welfare funds, as well as opportunities for greater convergence and technology-enabled service delivery.

An important component of the conference will be the sharing of innovative practices and successful interventions by the State BOCW welfare boards. The discussions are intended to facilitate cross-learning and identify approaches that can be adapted and replicated to improve the reach and effectiveness of welfare measures for construction workers.

The conference will also review progress on three major initiatives launched at the National Labour Conference held in New Delhi in November 2025 -- the State BOCW Digital Labour Chowk, Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres and Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal. These initiatives seek to strengthen employment facilitation, provide more dignified and accessible worker-centric services, and improve transparency and efficiency in cess collection and monitoring.

The two-day programme will further deliberate on International Labour Mobility Pathways, skilling and employment opportunities, labour statistics and the labour stack. The conference is aimed at building stronger coordination between the Centre, States, UTs and BOCW welfare boards, identifying implementation gaps and establishing priority actions for more effective and accessible delivery of social security, welfare and employment opportunities to construction workers, the statement added.

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