Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has ordered a high-level investigation into an alleged multi-crore scam within the state's Labour Department, involving fraudulent registration and work documents for construction workers. The scandal, flagged by the department's own minister, Anil Vij, is estimated to have potentially siphoned off public funds worth around Rs 1,500 crore.
The Unfolding of a Systemic Fraud
The irregularities came to light approximately four months ago when officials within the Haryana Labour Department noticed suspicious patterns in the processing of work slips for construction workers. These slips, also known as work receipts, are crucial for laborers to prove they have worked the mandatory minimum days to qualify for state welfare benefits.
Initial checks revealed a shocking pattern: in several districts, thousands of work slips had been certified by a single official within impossibly short timeframes. In one glaring instance, a single employee was found to have verified 2,646 work slips in a single day, a task that would require physical site inspections and was therefore logistically unfeasible.
This discovery triggered a wider, door-to-door physical verification drive across the state's districts. The provisional findings from 13 districts, compiled over a four-month period, painted a damning picture of systemic fraud.
Staggering Numbers of Fake Beneficiaries
The scale of the alleged scam is monumental. According to the verification data for the period between August 2023 and March 2025:
- Out of 5,99,758 work slips issued, only 53,249 were found to be valid.
- Out of 2,21,517 registered construction workers, only about 14,240 were legitimate.
The investigation uncovered cases where entire villages were registered with fabricated identities, creating a vast network of "phantom workers" who never engaged in construction work but were fraudulently issued the necessary documents to claim benefits.
A senior Haryana Labour Department official stated that this was not mere clerical error but indicated "systemic collusion, lax verification, and possibly organised manipulation." With each fake worker eligible for benefits averaging Rs 2.5 lakh, the financial impact on the exchequer is colossal.
Why Work Slips Are a Lifeline for Workers
Construction workers in India largely belong to the unorganised sector, lacking job security. The Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board administers various social security schemes for them. To access these benefits, a worker must first register with the board and then obtain annual work slips proving they have worked for at least 90 days in a year.
These documents act as a gateway to a wide array of welfare measures. In Haryana, registered construction workers and their families are entitled to an extensive list of benefits, including:
- Maternity benefit of Rs 36,000 and paternity benefit of Rs 21,000.
- Educational support for children ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 annually, plus merit scholarships.
- Financial assistance for marriage under the Kanyadaan Yojana (up to Rs 1,01,000).
- Pensions: Old-age (Rs 3,500/month), widow (Rs 3,000/month), and disability (Rs 3,000/month).
- Medical benefits, tool grants, home loans, and even incentives for purchasing bicycles or electric scooters.
- Compensation for accidental death at the workplace up to Rs 5,15,000.
The scam essentially diverted these crucial resources meant for one of the most vulnerable sections of the workforce to ineligible beneficiaries.
Government's Response and Ongoing Probe
Labour Minister Anil Vij, who heads the very department where the fraud was detected, has been vocal in calling it a major scam. He stated that the irregularities began with implausible verifications and amounted to "looting" of public funds. Following his communication, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini acted swiftly.
On January 2, 2026, CM Saini constituted a three-member high-level inquiry committee comprising senior IAS and IPS officers. The panel has been directed to submit its report within one month. The Chief Minister has also ordered the collection of pending reports from the remaining nine districts to ascertain the complete financial loss and the full extent of the irregularities.
The probe will now determine the exact modus operandi, identify the officials and entities involved in the collusion, and recommend measures to prevent such systemic failures in the future, ensuring that welfare meant for genuine construction workers reaches them without obstruction.
