Work-slip scam: Reports from 13 districts shocking, further probe essential, says labour minister Anil Vij

AMBALA: Haryana labour minister Anil Vij has said that reports received from 13 districts in connection with the alleged Rs 1,500 crore work-slip scam in the Labour Department have revealed shocking facts, making a deeper and wider investigation imperative. He warned that the matter could turn out to be even bigger as the probe progresses.Addressing the media in Ambala, Anil Vij said the issue came to his notice soon after he assumed charge of the Labour Department. It was found that in several cases, the verification of thousands of workers had allegedly been carried out by a single individual—something that is practically impossible and clearly points to large-scale irregularities, he said.The minister explained that the state government provides extensive welfare benefits to registered construction workers, including financial assistance for education of children up to PhD level, grants for marriage and childbirth, and financial support for medical treatment during illness. Registration and proper verification of beneficiaries are mandatory to avail these benefits.“When it came to light that individual employees had verified thousands of workers, I first ordered a summary inspection in three districts, which confirmed the irregularities. Thereafter, a statewide investigation was ordered,” Vij said. However, due to insufficient staff in the Labour Department to conduct a comprehensive verification across the state, Deputy Commissioners were asked to constitute three-member committees in their respective districts. These committees were directed to verify registered workers by conducting door-to-door checks using district-wise registration lists.So far, reports from 13 districts have been received, while reports from nine districts are still awaited. According to the findings from these 13 districts, out of 5,99,758 work slips examined, only 53,249 were found to be valid, while the remaining were declared invalid. Similarly, out of 2,21,517 registered workers, only 14,240 were found to be genuine, with the rest deemed invalid.“These figures are alarming. It clearly indicates that benefits meant for genuine labourers were being siphoned off by someone else in their names,” the minister said. He added that it is now crucial to investigate who prepared the fake slips, since when the benefits were being drawn, who all benefitted from them, and who carried out or facilitated the verification. “All these aspects will come out in the investigation, and the scale of the scam could be much larger than currently estimated,” Vij added.It is noteworthy that the probe into this alleged fraud was initiated under the directions of labour minister Anil Vij, which has so far exposed an estimated Rs 1,500 crore work-slip scam in the Labour Department. Vij has also recommended a thorough investigation into the matter to the chief minister.