On Labour Day, CM announces Rs 5,000 balm for registered construction workers

SHILLONG, May 1: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday launched the CM-LIGHT scheme, announcing a direct transfer of Rs 5,000 each to over 11,000 registered construction workers from the labour cess fund.
Speaking at the International Workers’ Day programme organised by the Labour department and the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Sangma said the state has projects worth Rs 29,000 crore under way, generating around 20,000 jobs.
He stated that Meghalaya is among the fastest-growing economies in the country, maintaining a consistent growth rate of around 10 per cent, with development visible through large-scale infrastructure expansion.
The chief minister said Meghalaya offers one of the highest  wages for unskilled labour in the country at Rs 525 per day, the highest in the Northeast and third highest nationally.
Announcing CM-LIGHT (Chief Minister’s Labour Income Grant and Health Transformation), he said the financial assistance is being disbursed from the one per cent labour cess collected from infrastructure projects, which has accumulated to nearly Rs 400 crore.
Sangma also highlighted existing welfare benefits for registered workers, including education aid, maternity benefits, pensions, medical assistance and insurance coverage.
He further announced infrastructure support for 12 schools, each to receive about Rs 50 lakh from the cess fund, with a condition that five per cent of admissions be reserved for children of workers, free of tuition fees.
The chief minister said the government’s focus is to ensure that economic growth translates into jobs and welfare, while urging greater registration of workers to avail benefits.