May Day rings hollow as labour welfare schemes lag in Hubballi

Pic: AIHubballi: Even as International Labour Day was observed on May 1, welfare schemes meant for labourers continue to be delayed in the district, leaving many beneficiaries frustrated.Around 2.1 lakh labourers are registered under the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board in the district. The board runs several schemes, including disability pension, marriage assistance and educational scholarships. However, labourers said repeated visits to the department office to avail these benefits have yielded no result.Under the Karnataka State Unorganised Workers Social Security Board, 21,353 labourers are registered for the Ambedkar Karmika Sahaya Hastha scheme, sources said. While 95,997 smart cards have been issued to labourers, as many as 16,185 cards have been identified as fake.Gurunath B, a painting labourer from Hubballi, said he applied for a labour card in February 2026 to access welfare schemes, but his application was cancelled. "I have been working as a painter for 20 years. I submitted all details, including my workplace, yet my card was rejected for a minor reason. The department should recheck my application and issue a labour card," he said.Kallapa G, a labour card holder, said he applied online for the marriage assistance scheme in November 2025 but is yet to receive the promised Rs 60,000. "Officials keep asking me to check my bank passbook. Schemes meant for labour welfare are not reaching beneficiaries due to delays," he said.Shivanand Asuti, district president of Karnataka Rajya Kattada-Asanghatita Karmika Vakkut, said technical issues have prevented many labourers from accessing benefits. "Marriage assistance and other schemes are delayed. Scholarships and school kits for children should be released at the earliest," he said.Responding to the complaints, labour officer Marikamba Hulkoti said smart card holders must apply through the SSP portal. "Scholarships are credited every June. The process of releasing the 2025–26 scholarship amount is under way and will be credited soon. Benefits are now provided through DBT instead of the earlier manual process," she said.
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