Old Age Pension Scheme (APB&OCWWB), Arunachal Pradesh

What is the Old Age Pension Scheme for construction workers in Arunachal Pradesh?

Old Age Pension Scheme (APB&OCWWB) is a monthly pension run by the Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, through the Arunachal Pradesh Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. According to the Department's published scheme description, the aim is "to secure the economic dependency of a worker after retirement or at an old age period."

The pension is Rs 500 per month, with an increase of Rs 10 on completion of every 5 years. It is paid to workers registered with the Board who have completed 60 years of age. This is not the general state old age pension that every elderly resident may seek, it is a benefit financed from the construction cess fund and restricted to the Board's own registered beneficiaries.

APB&OCWWB was constituted under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, and is funded by the cess collected under the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996, at the prescribed rate on the cost of construction of building projects in the state. Labour and Employment officers at district level act as assessing officers and cess collectors for the Board. Because the fund belongs to construction workers, the Board can only spend it on workers who are on its register.

Construction is one of the largest employers of unorganised labour in Arunachal Pradesh, road cutting in the hill districts, bridge work, government building projects, hydro-power sites and private housing in Itanagar, Naharlagun, Pasighat and Tezu all run on daily-wage labour. Most of these workers have no provident fund, no gratuity and no employer to turn to at 60. The Board's old age pension is the one continuing income a registered worker can rely on after the working years end.

Who is eligible for the APB&OCWWB old age pension?

You can claim the pension if:

• You are a permanent resident of Arunachal Pradesh.
• You are or were employed in building and other construction work: masonry, carpentry, bar bending, plumbing, electrical work, road and bridge construction, earthwork, painting, welding, stone breaking and the other trades covered by the BOCW Act, 1996.
• You are registered with the APB&OCWWB and your registration is active.
• You have completed 60 years of age.
• You have held membership for at least 1 year after attaining the age of 60 years.

You are not eligible if:

• You are an elderly resident who never worked in building or construction. The Board's fund cannot be spent outside the construction workforce.
• You worked in construction but never registered with the Board. Late registration at 60 does not create a retrospective entitlement; the one-year membership condition still has to be met.
• Your registration has lapsed for non-payment of the prescribed contribution or non-renewal.
• You are below 60 years of age.
• You were employed mainly in a managerial, administrative or supervisory capacity, which falls outside the BOCW Act's definition of a building worker.

Registration as a beneficiary under the BOCW Act is open to construction workers aged 18 to 60 who have put in at least 90 days of construction work in the preceding twelve months. Workers who register in their thirties or forties and keep the membership alive are the ones who arrive at 60 with a clean, unbroken record and the fewest problems at the counter.

What documents are required?

Take the originals along with one attested photocopy set. Offices verify originals across the counter and keep the copies on file.

How to apply for the APB&OCWWB old age pension

The scheme runs entirely offline. There is no online form.

1. Contact the Registering Officer, APB&OCWWB, of your district. The Board operates through district-level Registering Officers under the Labour and Employment Department. Go with your registration card in hand.
2. Collect the prescribed application form for the Old Age Pension Scheme and fill it in. Enter your registration number exactly as printed on the card.
3. Attach the supporting documents, identity proof, registration card copy, age proof, bank passbook front page and photographs.
4. Submit the completed application to the concerned office and obtain a dated acknowledgement or diary number.
5. Wait for verification. The office checks the membership record, the contribution history and the age proof. Once the claim is verified and sanctioned, the monthly pension begins and is credited to the declared bank account.

A worker who is 60 or older but not yet registered should ask about registration at the same counter. Registration requires proof of construction work — normally an employer or contractor certificate covering 90 days in the preceding year, and the prescribed contribution.

How do I check the status of my pension application?

No online status tracker is published for this scheme. Follow up at the district Registering Officer's office with the diary number from your acknowledgement. Once the pension has started, the simplest check is the bank passbook: update it at the branch or the business correspondent point and look for the monthly credit. A missing credit is usually a bank-side problem. A dormant account, a KYC hold or a closed branch account, before it is a Board-side problem, so check the account first.

Why pension claims get rejected, and how to fix them

• Registration not active. Contributions stopped years ago and the card was never renewed. Revive the membership first; the office needs a live record.
• Membership shorter than one year. Nothing can be done except to complete the period and re-apply.
• Age proof missing or inconsistent. A date of birth on Aadhaar that conflicts with the Board's registration record stalls the file. Get the two records reconciled before applying.
• Bank account not in the applicant's name. The pension is credited to the beneficiary's own account; an account in a son's or daughter's name will be returned.
• Dormant bank account. An account with no transactions for a long period goes inactive and rejects credits. Re-KYC at the branch restores it.
• Applicant not a construction worker at all. This is a scheme boundary, not a paperwork problem. Approach the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development for the general old age pension instead.

What other benefits come with APB&OCWWB registration?

Board registration in Arunachal Pradesh also opens access to Medical Assistance, a Cash Award linked to the education of workers' children, and an Advance for Purchase or Construction of House of Rs 1.00 lakh for members with at least 5 years of active membership. The old age pension is therefore the last in a sequence of entitlements that begins the day a worker registers, which is the strongest practical argument for registering early rather than at 59.

Where to raise a complaint

Take a delayed or rejected claim first to the Registering Officer who received the application, and then to the Labour Commissioner, Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar. Current office addresses and contact details are published on the Department's website at labour.arunachal.gov.in. Registration with the Board and every claim on it are free of charge; no agent is authorised to collect a fee for enrolling a worker or sanctioning a pension.