Karnataka construction workers to have on-site creches for their children

In order ta create a safe space for the children of construction workers who have no one to look after them, the Karnataka Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board (KARWWB) has tied up with three NGOs to start creches on site.

While these will be called ‘mobile creches’, they are not on wheels. They will be temporary spaces built by the construction company to serve as creches, which will be run by an NGO.

“For construction projects that will last a minimum of one year, we have instructed companies to build spaces to function as creches on site. The NGO staff will look after children aged zero to six. We are trying this on a pilot basis with 10 creches in Bengaluru, and intend to expand to a 100 in the future,” said Rohini Sindhuri, secretary of KARWWB.

“The creches will not just have toys and food, but will also serve as centres of early education, for pre-primary levels. They will be able to accommodate 15 to 20 kids, who will be supervised and engaged in activities by NGO staff. We have given Rs 10 lakh to run a creche per year to each NGO,” she added.

So far, the board has tied up with three such NGOs - Delhi-based Mobile Creches, Bengaluru-based Sampark and Sparsha trust. In two to three months, the welfare board intends to scale the numbers up based on how the pilot goes. The pilot will begin in around 15 days, until which time the NGO staff will be trained.

“Once the construction is complete and the labourers move, it will be disbanded. Big construction companies often have a fixed set of labourers who travel with them and work with them, by putting them up in colonies near the building site,” Sindhuri explained.