Massive Fraud Uncovered: Haryana Construction Workers' Registration Scandal

Anil Vij, Haryana's Labour Minister, announced the reactivation of IDs for genuinely registered construction workers after a probe revealed a massive fake registration scandal. Only about 10% of work slips were found genuine. The scam, potentially worth Rs 1,500 crore, demands district-level grievance committees.

A major scandal has been unearthed in Haryana, where only a small fraction of construction workers' registrations under the Government's welfare schemes were found to be genuine. Labour Minister Anil Vij confirmed on Thursday that of over two million work slips reviewed, just around 270,945 were valid.

The fraudulent registration scheme has reportedly inflated to an astonishing Rs 1,500 crore, impacting genuine workers who depend on government benefits. Previously, the scheme assured benefits worth Rs 2.5 lakh to workers who could prove their eligibility through work slips, generating significant financial implications.

A high-level committee has approved the reactivation of portal IDs for legitimately registered workers and recommended setting up district-level grievance committees to address issues and restore trust. The discovery of this scam, active before 2008, mandates extensive investigation across 22 districts over the last two years.