First Self Marriage Expenses (Maharashtra Construction Workers)

What is the First Self Marriage Expenses scheme?

First Self Marriage Expenses is a social security benefit run by the Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, the statutory board constituted under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 and working under the Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra. In everyday Marathi usage the board's benefits are known collectively as Bandhkam Kamgar Yojana, and this particular head is often called the first marriage reimbursement.

According to the welfare schemes page on mahabocw.in, the scheme pays Rs 30,000 to a registered construction worker towards the expenses of their own first marriage. The board lists it under its social security group, next to the Rs 51,000 daughter's marriage assistance and the recognition of prior learning training benefit. Money is released by Direct Benefit Transfer into the worker's Aadhaar-seeded bank account, so no cash changes hands.

The board is financed by a cess levied on construction cost in Maharashtra, not by a fee on workers, and the entire cess is earmarked for the welfare of registered construction workers and their families. That is why every benefit. This one included; is conditional on registration and on nothing else being paid to any middleman.

Who is eligible for the First Self Marriage Expenses benefit?

You can claim if:

• You are a registered construction worker with the Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, with a live registration.
• You were 18 to 60 years old when you registered, which is the board's registration age band, and had worked at least 90 days in the preceding 12 months as a building or other construction worker.
• You are marrying, or have married, for the first time.
• The marriage is registered and you hold a marriage certificate from the competent registrar.
• Both parties meet the legal minimum age of marriage in India to 21 years for the man and 18 years for the woman.
• You hold an Aadhaar-seeded bank account in Maharashtra for the DBT credit.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not registered with the board. There is no route for an unregistered construction worker to claim this Rs 30,000.
• Your registration has lapsed for want of renewal — renew it first.
• This is your second or subsequent marriage. The affidavit of first marriage exists precisely to filter these out.
• The marriage is not registered and you cannot produce a marriage certificate.
• You are a contractor, employer or site supervisor rather than a manual construction worker covered by the Act.
• You are registered with another state's construction workers welfare board.

How much money does the scheme give?

The benefit is a single payment of Rs 30,000, credited once. It is not recurring and it is not adjusted upward for the actual cost of the wedding. The figure is fixed by the board.

Read alongside the board's other family benefits, the picture is:

Education benefits are restricted to the first two children of a registered worker, which is a limit that catches many families by surprise.

What documents are required?

How to apply for First Self Marriage Expenses online

1. Get the marriage registered first and collect the marriage certificate, then have the affidavit of first marriage sworn before a notary or executive magistrate. Without these two the claim cannot be filed at all.
2. Open iwbms.mahabocw.in through the online services menu on mahabocw.in and log in to your construction worker profile using your registration number and registered mobile number.
3. Check that your registration status reads active. If it has lapsed, complete the online renewal before going further.
4. Choose apply online for claim, then select the social security scheme for first marriage expenses.
5. Fill in the claim form; date of marriage, place of registration, certificate number, spouse details and your bank account exactly as printed in the passbook.
6. Upload the marriage certificate, affidavit, Aadhaar of both parties, bank passbook and registration card as clear scans.
7. Submit and save the acknowledgement number displayed on screen.
8. Track the claim from the same login until the sanction and DBT credit show.

How to apply offline

1. Go to the district labour office or the Government Labour Officer handling construction worker claims for your district.
2. Collect the claim form for first marriage expenses and fill it in.
3. Attach self-attested copies of the marriage certificate, first-marriage affidavit, registration card, Aadhaar of both parties, bank passbook and age proof, and carry the originals for verification.
4. Submit the file and collect the dated acknowledgement receipt, which is your proof of the filing date.

Assisted filing is available at Suvidha Kendra counters and at district labour desks in several districts, and it is free. No agent has authority to charge a worker for lodging a board claim.

How to check your claim status

1. Log in at iwbms.mahabocw.in with your registration number.
2. Open the claim history tab and read the status against your acknowledgement number, it moves from submitted, to district scrutiny, to sanctioned, to paid.
3. If there is no movement for several weeks, call 1800-8892-816 between 10:00 and 18:00, or email support@mahabocw.in with your registration number and acknowledgement number.

Common reasons the marriage claim is rejected

• No registered marriage certificate. A wedding invitation card and photographs will not substitute for the registrar's certificate.
• Affidavit missing or wrongly worded. It must state clearly that this is the worker's first marriage.
• Registration lapsed on the date of the claim. Renew and refile.
• Age below the legal minimum for either party on the date of marriage.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, so the DBT credit fails.
• Name spelling mismatch across Aadhaar, the bank account, the marriage certificate and the board record. Fix the mismatch at source before refiling.
• Duplicate claim where both spouses are separately registered and both file for the same wedding.

Where to get help

• Toll-free helpdesk: 1800-8892-816, 10:00 to 18:00
• Board landlines: (022) 2657-2631 and (022) 2657-2632
• Email: support@mahabocw.in or bocwwboardmaha@gmail.com
• Board office: 5th Floor, MMTC House, Plot C-22, E-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai 400051
• District route: Government Labour Officer or Assistant Labour Commissioner

A grievance that the district office does not resolve can be escalated to the Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra, which supervises the board. Registration, renewal and claim filing are free services, and no board officer will ask a worker for money or for an OTP.