Delhi construction workers health scheme tender limited to PSUs after CAG findings

Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board has limited the tender for its health scheme to public sector undertakings. Private companies cannot apply on their own, and they cannot join hands with a government undertaking as a joint group or consortium.

The board has issued clarifications on the tender to pick the agency that will run the Delhi construction workers health scheme. The chosen agency must be a PSU with the required experience in the healthcare sector. It has to meet all the eligibility conditions on its own.

On penalties, the board said one lapse will not lead to separate penalties under both the service-level conditions and the rules of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Action can be taken when different standards are broken. If the same lapse comes under both, the higher penalty will apply.

The change follows findings from the Comptroller and Auditor General. The CAG said the board claimed 6.96 lakh registered workers but shared complete data for only 1.98 lakh. It also found 1.19 lakh people linked to 2.38 lakh photographs. Benefits reached people under fewer than 12 of the 17 schemes between 2019-20 and 2022-23. A 2020 report mentioned payments of Rs 97.64 crore towards income tax and interest.

The clarification does not give a specific reason for keeping private companies out. For registered construction workers, the agency picked through this tender will deliver the health scheme under the board's framework. The next step is to select a PSU that meets the board's healthcare experience requirement and the other tender conditions.