Assam BOCW Welfare Board - Funeral Assistance

What is the Assam BOCW Welfare Board Funeral Assistance?

Assam BOCW Welfare Board Funeral Assistance is a Rs 5,000 lump sum paid to the nominee or dependants of a registered construction worker to help meet the immediate cost of the funeral. The Assam Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board, working under the Labour Welfare Department of the Government of Assam, sanctions the amount from the construction welfare cess fund.

According to the Commissionerate of Labour, Assam, the Board "sanctions an amount of Rs. 5,000 to the nominees or dependants of a deceased member, towards funeral expenses." The payment is small by design. It is meant to cover the cost of the last rites in the first few days, while the larger death benefit of Rs 50,000 or Rs 3,00,000 works its way through the sanction process.

The scheme sits within the framework of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, under which Assam constituted its own tripartite Welfare Board with representation from employers, trade unions and government officials. Funding comes from the one per cent welfare cess levied on the cost of construction work in the state, not from any contribution the worker's family has to make at the time of death.

Where funeral assistance fits among the Board's death-related payments

• Funeral assistance, Rs 5,000. Paid on the death of any registered member, whatever the cause.
• Death benefit: Rs 50,000 for normal death, Rs 3,00,000 for accidental death during the course of employment.
• Family pension to 50 per cent of the deceased pensioner's pension to the surviving spouse, where the worker was already drawing pension from the Board.

A family that files only one of these is leaving money unclaimed. The same set of documents supports all three, so they should be claimed in a single visit.

Who is eligible for funeral assistance in Assam?

A family can claim if:

• The deceased was a registered beneficiary of the Assam BOCW Welfare Board holding a valid registration or identity card.
• The registration was live on the date of death and had not lapsed for non-payment of contribution.
• The claimant is the nominee recorded in the registration file, or a dependant able to produce a legal heir or succession certificate.
• A death certificate is available from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the municipal body or the gaon panchayat.

A family cannot apply, or is not eligible, if:

• The worker was never registered under the BOCW Act with the Assam Board. Having worked on construction sites for years does not create entitlement without registration.
• The person claiming is not a nominee or dependant. A contractor, employer, neighbour or social worker who actually paid for the funeral cannot claim the Rs 5,000 in their own name, although they may help the family file.
• The worker's registration had lapsed long before the date of death and no request for condonation is made.
• Another relative has already been paid the funeral assistance for the same worker. The Board pays Rs 5,000 once per deceased member, not once per claimant.

Under the BOCW Act, 1996, a construction worker becomes eligible for registration between the ages of 18 and 60 after completing at least 90 days of building or other construction work in the preceding twelve months. Eligibility for funeral assistance flows from that registration.

What documents are required?

Carry the originals for verification and leave two self-attested photocopy sets at the office. Where the worker's name is spelt differently on the registration card and the death certificate. A frequent problem when a name is transliterated between Assamese and English; carry an affidavit sworn before a notary or executive magistrate declaring that both refer to the same person.

How to apply for BOCW funeral assistance in Assam

1. Find the deceased worker's BOCW registration card and note the registration number and the issuing district Labour office. The claim is filed at that office.
2. Register the death and obtain the death certificate from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the municipal board or the gaon panchayat covering the place of death.
3. Collect the claim form for welfare benefits from the district Labour office or the Inspector holding the worker's file, and enter the registration number, date of death and the claimant's relationship to the deceased.
4. Attach the documents — registration card, death certificate, nomination record or legal heir certificate, claimant's identity proof and a bank passbook copy, plus the cremation or burial receipt if available.
5. File the death benefit claim at the same time, so the Rs 5,000 funeral assistance and the Rs 50,000 or Rs 3,00,000 death benefit move together through the same verification.
6. Submit the file and take a dated acknowledgement carrying a diary number. Without this receipt there is no practical way to follow up.
7. Follow up after four to six weeks at the same counter, and escalate in writing to the Commissionerate of Labour, Shram Bhawan, Guwahati-07, if the file has not been forwarded for sanction.

How to check the status of a funeral assistance claim

1. Return to the district Labour office with the diary number on the acknowledgement.
2. Ask whether the Inspector has completed field verification of the registration and the death, which is the stage most files sit at.
3. Confirm the file has been forwarded to the Welfare Board for sanction.
4. After sanction, check that the bank account details recorded match the claimant's passbook exactly, since a wrong IFSC or a dormant account will bounce the transfer.

Why funeral assistance claims fail, and how to fix them

• Registration lapsed. File the claim anyway with a written request for condonation, explaining the circumstances, rather than assuming it is refused.
• No nomination recorded. Apply to the revenue authority for a legal heir or succession certificate; this is the longest delay in most files.
• Name or date-of-birth mismatch across the registration card, death certificate and identity document. Cure it with a notarised affidavit.
• Bank account dormant or closed. Submit a fresh cancelled cheque or passbook copy in writing as soon as sanction is issued.
• Claim filed at the wrong office. The file must go to the district office that holds the worker's registration record, not simply the nearest one.
• Only funeral assistance claimed. This is not a rejection but a loss; always claim the death benefit alongside.

Key dates and how quickly to file

The Assam BOCW Welfare Board has not announced a hard last date for funeral assistance, and the benefit is open all year. In practice families should file within the first few weeks after the death, while the death certificate is fresh and the employer or contractor who can confirm the worker's engagement is still contactable. Delay does not automatically disqualify a claim, but it attracts additional verification and can require an explanation in writing.

Registering a construction worker so the family is covered

Funeral assistance cannot be claimed retrospectively for an unregistered worker, so registration matters more than any claim procedure. The Commissionerate of Labour, Assam lists Registration of Workers under the BOCW Act among the services available through the state Ease of Doing Business portal at eodb.assam.gov.in, and district labour offices and worksite camps also register workers.

A worker registering should carry proof of age, proof of residence in Assam, a photograph, bank account details, and a certificate of at least 90 days of construction work in the previous twelve months from the employer, contractor or a registered trade union. Fill in the nomination column at registration. A recorded nominee turns the Rs 5,000 funeral claim into a short over-the-counter process; a blank nomination turns it into a months-long succession certificate exercise at exactly the wrong time for the family.

Grievance redressal and contact

• Commissionerate of Labour, Assam, Shram Bhawan, Guwahati-07
• Email, labour.commissioner@assam.gov.in and labourcommissionerassam@yahoo.com
• District Labour office, files the claim and receives complaints about delay
• Online services, eodb.assam.gov.in for BOCW registration of workers and establishments

Funeral assistance is paid free of any charge. No contractor, agent or middleman may take a cut of the Rs 5,000, and any such demand should be reported in writing to the Commissionerate of Labour, Assam.