Dikhyaa Mohanty 
At its third meeting, which was held at Kharavela Bhawan, the Odisha Labour Welfare Board announced a number of new welfare measures, such as financial aid, scholarship programs, and increased digital services, in a major effort to improve the welfare of the state’s workforce. The meeting was presided over by Board Chairman and State Insurance Minister for Labor and Employees Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia. “Workers are the foundation of our country—the real nation builders,” he stated, highlighting the crucial role that workers play in constructing a nation. A nation cannot advance if its workforce is neglected.
He also reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to provide social security, legal protection, and development opportunities for all workers, noting that Odisha’s workforce is largely responsible for the state’s economic progress as a labor-rich state. A one-time scholarship of Rs 1 lakh for children of contributing workers enrolled in technical or professional programs at esteemed government universities like IITs, IIMs, NITs, AIIMS, IISc, and comparable institutions was one of the main suggestions proposed.
The Odisha Labour Welfare Fund (OLWF), which presently has about Rs 34.48 crore, would be used to fund these plans. According to the 2015 Odisha Labour Welfare Fund Rules, employers contribute Rs 40 per worker and employees contribute Rs 20 to support the fund. The “Pareshram Portal” (pareshram-labour.odisha.gov.in), created by the Directorates of Factories and Boilers and Labour, was also discussed during the conference. Employers and employees can streamline administrative processes by using the portal’s automated services for registration (Form-A), modification notifications (Form-B), closure notifications (Form-C), and yearly contributions (Form-F).
