Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, will chair the National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW), which will be held in Mumbai on September 11–12, 2026. The two-day conference is being organised by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra.
The conference will bring together Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment and MSME Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Labour Ministers and senior officials from States and Union Territories, Chairpersons and Secretaries of BOCW Welfare Boards, along with senior officials from the Central and State governments.
The construction sector remains one of the country’s major sources of employment and provides livelihoods to millions of workers. Against the backdrop of the implementation of the new Labour Codes, the conference will provide an opportunity to assess the evolving BOCW framework and further strengthen the functioning of Welfare Boards.
Key discussions will focus on the statutory responsibilities of BOCW Welfare Boards, registration of workers, delivery of welfare benefits, monitoring and utilisation of welfare funds, as well as greater coordination and the use of technology to improve service delivery.
A major focus of the conference will be on showcasing innovative measures and successful initiatives undertaken by State BOCW Welfare Boards. The exchange of experiences is expected to promote cross-learning and help identify successful approaches that can be adapted and replicated across different States and Union Territories to enhance the reach and effectiveness of welfare schemes for construction workers.
The conference will also assess the progress of three key initiatives introduced during the National Labour Conference held in New Delhi in November 2025. These include the State BOCW Digital Labour Chowk, Labour Chowk-cum-Facilitation Centres and the Online BOCW Cess Collection Portal.
These initiatives are aimed at improving employment opportunities and facilitation for construction workers, ensuring more dignified and accessible worker-centric services, and enhancing transparency, efficiency and monitoring in the collection of BOCW cess.The two-day event will also include discussions on International Labour Mobility Pathways, skilling and employment opportunities, labour statistics and the labour stack.
The conference seeks to strengthen coordination among the Central Government, State and UT administrations and BOCW Welfare Boards, while identifying gaps in implementation and setting out priority areas for action. The overall objective is to ensure more effective, accessible and efficient delivery of social security, welfare and employment opportunities to construction workers across the country.
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