PANAJI: The Goa Government has launched an Integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System for the Goa Labour Welfare Board and the Goa Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant saying the digital system will improve registration, simplify applications and ensure welfare benefits reach workers more efficiently.
The system has been introduced with the support of RailTel, a public sector undertaking under the Government of India. It will bring welfare board operations, applications and records onto a digital platform, with integration of services including Goa Online, DigiLocker, online applications and payment systems.
Speaking at the launch in the presence of Labour Minister Atanasio Monserrate, Labour Commissioners, Labour Department officials and RailTel representatives on Friday, Sawant congratulated the department for the initiative. “Following the implementation of this Enterprise Resource Planning system, we will be able to make digital operations very effective for both the Goa Labour Welfare Board and the Goa Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board,” Sawant said.
He said the system would reduce dependence on paperwork and make it easier for workers to apply for welfare schemes. Sawant said one of the major challenges before the department was the low registration of construction workers, which in turn affected the reach of welfare schemes. “In our state, we noticed that very few construction workers register with us, resulting in low delivery of benefits to the people,” he said. He urged construction workers holding Goan cards to register with the Construction Workers Welfare Board and avail themselves of the benefits available under various schemes.
According to Sawant, the digital transformation will also help improve access for workers in rural areas, women workers and senior citizens by providing regular updates and greater transparency in the delivery of welfare benefits. The Chief Minister said RailTel had been supporting similar digital initiatives in other states and that Goa would use the partnership to expand digital access to labour welfare services.
Sawant also cited the Goa Scholarship Portal as an example of how digital systems could improve access to government benefits. He said that while only a small percentage of students initially applied online, more than 90 per cent now apply through the portal for the Chief Minister’s Scholarship. He said a similar scholarship under the Labour Welfare Department had now been linked to the CM Scholarship App. “My request is that Goans working in the private sector also apply for this Labour Welfare scholarship through the CM Scholarship Portal,” Sawant said. He said children of workers pursuing engineering, medicine and higher education could receive tuition assistance of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, with higher assistance available under certain categories.
Sawant said the department was focusing on creating greater awareness among workers in the private sector, given the large number of people employed in private establishments. “Since private sector employment numbers exceed government sector employment, the Labour Department and Labour Minister are actively driving awareness across industries and factories through inspectors so all eligible families receive these benefits,” he said.
Sawant said the government would continue working with RailTel to increase registration and outreach under both welfare boards. “Moving forward, through RailTel, we remain committed to maximising registration and outreach across both welfare boards,” he said, urging workers to make full use of the welfare schemes available to them.
