Extend date for construction workers to submit educational assistance forms till Nov 30: Tarigami

 Srinagar: CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has said that J&K administration must consider the plea of thousands of registered construction workers, who couldn’t submit annual educational assistance forms due to Covid-19 lockdown and harvesting season, and extend the date for submission of such forms.The Construction workers get yearly education assistance for two children through J&K Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. But this year they couldn’t submit the forms on time due to the lockdown.Further he added that the closure of schools across the J&K due to Covid-19 resulted in difficulty for BOC workers to get the forms countersigned and in availing other documents like marks cards. This resulted in delaying the submission of lower education forms by the workers.Keeping this in view the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Secretary of J&K Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board vide order no: CEO/J&K/BCB/2020/9380-9404 on October 29 extended the date for submission of the forms till November 30.

 However, surprisingly the order was revoked very next day without giving any reasons leaving thousands of workers in shock. The decision will cause huge hardships to the children of these workers as their education will suffer. Already the children are out of school since last year and such decisions will compound their problems.The government must reconsider its decision and allow them to submit the forms till November 30.