The mortal remains of casual labourers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) who die at work will be transported to their homes on government expense, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday. Singh made the announcement in a post in Hindi on ‘X. The Defence Ministry in a statement earlier in the day, said Singh has approved the extension of the facility of preservation and transportation of mortal remains, available for General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) personnel of the BRO, to casually paid labourers (CPLs). Singh said in his post that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is “sensitive towards the welfare of all the workers”.
Keeping this in mind, it has been decided in the Defence Ministry that if workers engaged on a short-term basis die due to any reason during the construction work of BRO projects, then their mortal remains will be safely transported to their homes, Singh wrote in the post. Expenses incurred in taking the mortal remains to their homes will be borne by the government. The amount to be spent on their funerals has also increased, he added. “We believe that the importance of those who work hard to build roads at the country’s border and in remote areas adjacent to them is no less than that of a soldier. Therefore, this decision has been taken,” he said. Singh has also approved an increase in funeral expenditure for the CPLs to Rs 10,000 from Rs 1,000, the ministry said in the statement.
“The CPLs are employed by the BRO for the construction of roads in forward or border areas. They work hand-in-hand with the BRO personnel in adverse climates and tough working conditions, which sometimes result in casualties,” the statement said.
