Contractors’ capacity building

SHILLONG, OCT 23: Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma said that even as many infrastructural development schemes and programmes were being initiated in the state, the efficiency of all implementing departments depended on the efficiency and competence of all the partners – the contractors and the construction workers – and this has drawn the attention of the government to ensure that all partners engaged in infrastructural works are competent and efficient.

The Chief Minister was addressing a gathering of contractors, construction workers and entrepreneurs from Garo Hills during the day-long Contractors’ Capacity Building & Business Diversification Workshop at the SMELC Building, Tura on Monday. The workshop, organized by MIDFC in collaboration with the District Administration & IBDLP, West Garo Hills, was aimed at upgrading the knowledge and skill of contractors and builders by incorporating diverse aspects of construction work and encouraging them to venture further and diversify.

Reiterating the fact that building or promoting entrepreneurship in the state was the most difficult challenge for the government, the Chief Minister said the government has embarked upon a mission to promote entrepreneurship by building partnership and appropriate format of business. However, this can happen only when all government departments build partnership in all sectors.

Observing that most contractors in the State were first-generation contractors, the Chief Minister stressed on the need to create that kind of handholding support to ensure that they do not give up and said that the workshop should equip them with the skills and means to overcome the challenges and risks involved in this business. Referring to the demand and supply gap in trained workforce in the state, he called upon the implementing departments to empower not only local construction workers but also others with building skills so that they will have a ready workforce available in their own backyard.

The Chief Minister also stressed upon the contractors the need to get all their construction workers duly registered saying “if contractors cannot show their registered workforce they will not get any work from implementing agencies”. He highlighted on the number of welfare schemes and programmes for the construction workers under Labour department and called for complete synchronized approach in looking after the welfare of the people involved in construction. He suggested that all welfare schemes for construction workers should be created in a simple bullet format and be made available to all departments and all blocks in the State.

He also cautioned contractors against leasing out their work to others which would create a negative impact in the society and at the same time stressed the need to employ technically efficient workers, adding “you get to hear many negative narratives of works executed poorly which is bad for the implementing departments and to the government as a whole”. He referred to the competence of construction workers of Andhra Pradesh who have been able to diversify and venture out across the globe due to the enabling environment created for them and said “we also need to build such competent contractors and workers in our state so that they climb the ladder of success and create opportunities for themselves as well as for others”.

He informed that MIDFC was constituted to facilitate aspiring contractors and builders and informed that a corpus fund would be created under MIDFC for rendering collateral support to the new contractors. He urged upon them start small and establish themselves in one thing first and then think of diversifying into different fields of work.

West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner & Chairman, IBDLP, Pravin Bakshi, OSD,MIDFC, B.M. Syiem, OSD, MBDA, P.K. Marbaniang and Director, MBDA, Western Zone, Daniel J. Ingty also addressed the participants on the occasion.

During the day-long sessions, the participants were briefed about Meghalaya Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Scheme and Goods & Services Tax (GST) by officials of the Labour and Taxation departments, respectively, while PWD and PHE officials conducted technical sessions followed by interaction with the participants.

By Our Reporter