THE BUILDING AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS RELATED LAWS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2013

The Building and Other Construction Workers Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2013 aims to amend the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 and the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996. The bill seeks to empower the Central Government to specify the maximum cost of construction for applying the said Act instead of a fixed amount of rupees ten lakhs. It also aims to amplify the scope of registration of workers by substituting sub-section (1) of section 12 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. The bill further empowers the Central Government to notify the percentage of total expenditure for meeting administrative expenses incurred by the State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. Additionally, it amends sub-section (3) of section 12 of the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996 so as to empower the State Governments to file complaints in courts to take cognizance of an offence. The bill seeks to achieve these objectives by introducing amendments to various sections of the two Acts.