Anil Vij pegs the Haryana labour scam at over Rs 1,500 crore, revealing 88% of work slips are fake. A CM-led probe into fraudulent welfare claims has exposed a systemic collapse across 22 districts. (File Photo)
A fraud involving fake work slips in Haryana, being probed by a committee constituted by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, is emerging into a massive scam with Labour Minister Anil Vij pegging losses at over Rs 1500 crore. The reports compiled by the Deputy Commissioners have revealed that in some districts, over 97 per cent of the work slips were found invalid or fake.
The work slips — proof of 90 days of employment — are essential for workers to access a wide range of government welfare schemes, including pensions, education support, medical aid, and housing benefits. The misuse of these slips suggests that a large number of ineligible individuals may have fraudulently availed benefits.
The fraud was initially detected by Vij himself, who got a preliminary probe conducted. Later, in January, CM Saini constituted a high-level inquiry committee and directed it to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and submit a detailed report. District-level committees led by DCs were constituted to physically verify the work slips issued over the last two years.
The reports compiled by the DCs have now exposed deep-rooted irregularities in the labour welfare system. Nearly 90% of verified work slips under the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board were found to be “fraudulent”.
Acknowledging the scale of the scam, Vij indicated that the financial implications could reach Rs 1,500 crore for the last two years only and potentially escalate further as older records come under scrutiny.
The preliminary probe that Vij got conducted revealed a systemic collapse, as only 12 per cent of the work slips were found genuine.
“The scale of the irregularities is staggering. Out of a total of 21,78,523 work slips examined, only 2,70,945 (12.4%) were found valid, while a massive 19,07,578 (87.6%) were identified as fake,” an official said.
Vij said a portal will be opened to reactivate the IDs of workers whose slips are verified as genuine. “Workers with invalid slips will be given a chance to submit representations before designated committees. A high-level committee is already reviewing the findings and will recommend further action that is required to be taken in this matter. District-level committees led by DCs have already completed investigations across all 22 districts, relying on physical verification to confirm this massive scam”, Vij said.
How the scam worked
TL;DR: With such a high percentage of fake beneficiaries, genuine workers might have been deprived of timely support,” Vij added.
Preliminary findings in the reports compiled by the DCs suggest a widespread network of fraudulent registrations — fake workers were enrolled using fabricated or manipulated records; work slips were generated without actual employment verification; benefits averaging Rs 2.5 lakh per worker were allegedly siphoned off by ineligible individuals.
“The scam has exposed vulnerabilities in a system designed to support construction workers through benefits such as maternity and paternity assistance; education scholarships and reimbursements, housing loans and pensions; medical aid and accident compensation. With such a high percentage of fake beneficiaries, genuine workers might have been deprived of timely support,” Vij added.
“The investigation is currently limited to the past two years, but records dating back to 2008 are also likely to be scrutinised. If similar irregularities are found, the total scam value could run into thousands of crores. Strict action against those responsible, with possible penalties for officials and intermediaries involved in facilitating the fraud, shall be ensured,” Vij said.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
