Whenever we talk of nation builders we often talk about teachers, engineers, and doctors as the main nation builders of the nation. Not that they are not important pillars of our society but do we ever spare a thought for that mason putting his life on the line on scaffoldings working day in and day out in hot sunshine, wind, and cold? Or for that matter a carpenter putting up rooftops in almost all seasons of the weather. Or a motor mechanic braving exposure to chemicals and pollution and seamlessly working for hours on end to make two ends meet.
The truth of the matter is that we are never willing to accept the fact that these cobblers, carpenters, masons, and unskilled laborers are as important a part of our society as doctors, engineers, or for that matter motor mechanics. The former are the real nation builders who if seen from a holistic point of view put their lives on the line to build this nation.
How many of us visited the carpenters who fell to death from rooftops? Or the masons who had the ultimate fall from scaffoldings? Did we go to their homes and see how their families are putting up with this and making two ends meet? The governments across different times were not serious in making the unorganized sector avail the benefits like health insurance, Provident Fund, etc. If one goes on a survey and visits the various under-construction colonies in various suburban areas of Srinagar one would not be surprised to find out that the actual number of laborers, masons, and carpenters who know about these schemes is very paltry. The governments across different timelines failed to effectively broadcast the benefits of these schemes over different media like Radio, television, and Newspapers.
We can expect high expectations from the current Lieutenant Governor of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to set things in order. The outreach message is the priority. The government must make optimum use of all state-controlled media to effectively broadcast the benefits of enrolling in the welfare schemes. Carpenters, masons, laborers, and motor mechanics are an important part of the society. We must pledge to treat them equally and ensure that a substantial chunk of the labor laws applies to them as well.
