Roll out wage support plan for construction workers: Sonia Gandhi

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has demanded unveiling of a welfare plan by the Centre for the unorganised sector, especially construction workers, in wake of lockdown forced by the spread of the coronavirus.

"Considering the extraordinary situation, I request you to consider advising the state building and other construction welfare boards to roll out emergency wage support for the construction workers who are in distress," Sonia said in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She pointed out that several countries, including Canada, have announced wage subsidy measures as part of their economic response plan amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Congress leader said that that wage welfare boards have collected cess of Rs 49,688 crore till March 2019 but spent only Rs 19,379 crore till that time.

Sonia Gandhi said that lakhs of workers, mostly migrants, were facing hard in the absence of alternate sources of income.

Lakhs of people are returning to their native states, hometowns and villages, including 44 lakh construction workers.