Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government in the Department of Labour & ESI is intensifying its systemic intervention to fortify the social security framework for construction workers through the Nirman Shramik Kalyan Yojana.
Under the strategic leadership of the Labour Commissioner of Odisha, Shri Indramani Tripathy, this initiative, executed under the aegis of the Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, functions as a critical socio-legal mechanism designed to mitigate the inherent precarity of unorganized labour.
By mandating registration via the Nirman Shramik Online Portal or the Odisha Shramik Sathi Mobile App, the state facilitates a transition from informal labor to a recognized, benefit-eligible workforce.
The campaign led by Commissioner Shri Indramani Tripathy prioritizes universal registration to ensure that no worker is excluded from the layered causality of welfare protections, which include life and disability insurance, maternity benefits, and pension schemes.
A core pillar of this initiative is the educational advancement of workers’ children, where the state provides significant financial assistance—up to 40,000 per annum for professional courses—to prevent the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
Furthermore, the Nirman Shramik Pucca Ghar Yojana converges with this registry to provide housing assistance of up to 1.30 lakh, ensuring that the labor force contributing to the state’s physical infrastructure can secure their own habitations.
This digital-first approach via the Shramik Sathi App integrates direct benefit transfer (DBT) protocols, ensuring that fiscal assistance reaches the verified accounts of workers with transparency and urgency.
According to recent data from the Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (OB&OCWWB) and the Labour & ESI Department, there are approximately 43 lakh registered construction workers in Odisha.
This significant figure reflects a sustained campaign of systemic formalization. The state has seen a rapid expansion in the registered workforce to ensure that the layered causality of economic vulnerability is addressed through official social security channels.
Key details regarding this workforce include: From roughly 35.84 lakh registered workers in 2021-22, the number has grown to approximately 43 lakh by late 2024 and early 2025.
Recent economic surveys indicate that the construction sector has absorbed nearly 15.5 lakh new workers since 2017-18, making it a primary driver of industrial employment in the state.
Under the current drive led by Labour Commissioner Shri Indramani Tripathy, there is a specific focus on capturing migrant construction workers and those in rural areas who have yet to avail themselves of the Board’s welfare benefits.