SIALKOT - Over 5,000 industrial workers have been deprived of dowry funds, educational stipend, death grants for their children's education and marriage due to the slackness of the Punjab Workers Welfare Board (PWWB).
Their applications have also been pending for the last two and half years in Gujranwala Division's Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad and Gujranwala districts.
More than 700,000 workers work in thousands of factories in the region, out of which only 150,000 workers are registered. Punjab Workers' Welfare Board gives Rs100,000 as dowry fund for the wedding of daughter of a registered industrial worker, Rs1,600 for intermediate classes, Rs30,000 for graduation classes and Rs42,000 for masters classes as the education stipend for the industrial workers' every child giving Rs0.5 million as death grant for the grieved family of the deceased industrial worker.
The officials of the Labour Department claimed that they had forwarded these applications to the Punjab Workers' Welfare Board for the early payment but these applications were still lying pending with the department.
The local registered industrial workers were much perturbed due to the inordinate delay in the issuance of dowry funds, educational scholarships and death grants.
They expressed grave concern over the critical situation, and urged Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure early payments of grants to the families of the industrial workers.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government approved a mega plan to preserve 100 historical places and buildings in their original shape and design in Gujranwala Division.
According to senior officials, the Punjab government has issued directives to the divisional and district officials of the Local Bodies, Municipal Corporations, district councils and Archeology Department in this regard. The officials added that work on the mega plan would be started in the current month under the supervision of the local elected political representatives.