Construction of Residential House Assistance for Construction Workers (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu)

What is the house construction assistance for construction workers?

Construction of Residential House Assistance is a welfare scheme of the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, run by the Labour and Employment Department of the UT Administration. The Board lists the scheme as Form IV in its series of welfare schemes, and the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 specifically lists sanctioning loans and advances for the construction of a house among the functions of every state welfare board.

According to the Board's scheme page, any registered worker having not less than one year membership with the fund can apply in the prescribed Form IV with supporting documents to the Member Secretary (BOCWWB). If satisfied, the Board sanctions an amount as the beneficiary's share towards construction of a residential house.

How much does the scheme pay?

The scheme page sets out three distinct routes:

The logic of the PMAY routes is that under both Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana verticals the beneficiary has to put in a share of the cost from his own pocket. Where the beneficiary is a registered construction worker, the BOCW Welfare Board refunds that share: Rs 28,000 in the Gramin case, and either Rs 1,30,000 for Affordable Housing in Partnership or Rs 50,000 for Beneficiary-Led Construction in the Urban case: against documentary proof of the contribution actually paid.

Who is eligible for house construction assistance?

You can apply if:

• You are registered as a beneficiary of the BOCW Welfare Fund in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman or Diu.
• You have not less than one year of membership with the fund.
• You are within the statutory band of 18 to 60 years and had worked in building or other construction work for at least 90 days in the preceding 12 months at the time of registration.
• You own the land you intend to build on, for the Rs 75,000 token amount, or you are a PMAY beneficiary who has paid a beneficiary contribution.
• Your subscription record is current, Form IV asks for the rate of remittance, date of first and last remittance and the total amount remitted.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a registered beneficiary of the Board.
• Your membership is under one year old.
• You are availing benefits under the ESIC Act, 1948 or the EPF and MP Act, 1952. The Board has clarified that such workers are not entitled to similar benefits under the BOCW welfare schemes.
• Your membership has lapsed and not been revived. Form IV asks directly whether membership has ever been revived and for the details of revival.

Form IV opens with a question — "Do you have a pucca home?", and elsewhere asks whether the applicant already has a house of his own and whether he has received any earlier loan from the Board. A worker who already owns a pucca house should expect the Board to weigh that when deciding the claim.

What documents are needed?

The scheme page lists four documents explicitly:

• (a) Copy of bank pass book
• (b) Copy of Aadhaar card
• (c) Identity card
• (d) Receipt of contribution made under PMAY (G) or PMAY (U)

Form IV additionally requires the property details; town, village, taluka and district of the property, its area, survey number and valuation, plus the estimate for construction or maintenance of the building as per plan, details of any other loan received, details of amounts raised apart from the loan, and your bank account number, bank name, branch and IFSC code.

How to apply for house construction assistance

1. Confirm one year of membership. Check the date of your first remittance against today's date; the Board will not take up a Form IV filed before the first anniversary of membership.
2. Assemble the property paperwork, the survey number, area and valuation of your land, and a construction estimate prepared as per the plan. If you are a PMAY beneficiary, collect the receipt of the contribution you paid.
3. Collect Form IV from your district labour office, or use the "Construction of Residential House" page on bocwddd.in, which reproduces the form and provides an online submission form.
4. Fill in every section: BOCW registration location and number, personal and address details, remittance history, purpose of the advance, amount applied for, property details, details of any earlier loan, and bank account details.
5. Attach documents (a) to (d) as applicable and submit the form to the Member Secretary (BOCWWB) through your district labour office.
6. Keep the acknowledgement and follow up with the office. The Board sanctions the amount if satisfied, and it is credited to the account given on the form.

How to register with the Board

1. Confirm that you are aged 18 to 60 and have done building or other construction work for at least 90 days in the preceding twelve months.
2. Apply in the prescribed registration form to the officer authorised by the Board for your district, with the prescribed documents.
3. Pay the registration fee of not more than Rs 50.
4. Keep paying your subscription for at least a year before you file Form IV.

How to check your application status

The Board does not publish an online status tracker for welfare claims. Follow up at the district labour office where Form IV was filed, quoting your BOCW registration number and the submission date, and ask for the file number allotted to the case. Where the claim involves a PMAY reimbursement, the office may also verify your PMAY beneficiary record before releasing the amount.

Why house construction claims get held up

• Membership under one year, the first thing the office checks.
• Land not in the applicant's name. The token amount is for construction on the beneficiary's own land, so a clear survey number and title are essential.
• No construction estimate. A claim without a costed estimate as per plan cannot be assessed.
• PMAY contribution receipt missing. The reimbursement amounts of Rs 28,000, Rs 1,30,000 and Rs 50,000 are all payable only on production of documents.
• An earlier loan from the Board outstanding, which Form IV asks about directly.
• Lapsed subscription without a recorded revival.
• Wrong bank details, which stall the transfer after sanction.

Where to get help

• Dadra and Nagar Haveli: BOCW Welfare Board, Old Circuit House Building, opposite Bal Bhawan, Silvassa 396230. Phone 0260-2642374, email labour-dnh@nic.in
• Daman: Vidhyut Bhavan, Kachigam, Daman 396215. Phone 0260-2261059, email lelidaman@gmail.com
• Diu: Labour and Employment Office, Collectorate, Diu 362520. Phone 02875-252444

The Board's website carries a feedback form and an RTI page for written grievances. Filing Form IV is free of cost, and no agent is authorised to charge for securing a housing sanction.