On 11–12 December 2025, a high-level delegation from Nepal and Sri Lanka, comprising representatives of construction trade unions and employers’ federations/associations, visited Tamil Nadu, India, for a study tour on the State’s Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board model. In India, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are widely recognised as pioneers in establishing BOCW Boards, having operationalised them well before the Central Act came into force in 1996. The visit aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange and identify best practices in delivering comprehensive social security and protection to construction workers. During the tour, the delegation met with BOCW beneficiaries from various districts across the State, visited the Board office, and engaged with officials at the Labour Ministry.

The 25-member delegation also met the Honourable Minister of Labour, Welfare, and Skill Development, C. V. Ganesan, along with senior officials, including the Labour Secretary and Labour Commissioner. Ganesan addressed the group, highlighting key initiatives undertaken for construction workers under the BOCW framework. This was followed by a detailed presentation and interactive session led by the Labour Secretary, who responded to the delegates’ questions and shared insights on the Board’s implementation strategies.

Over the course of the two-day study tour, the delegation reflected on the social security frameworks in their respective countries while gathering information on Tamil Nadu’s administrative and operational systems, worker registration mechanisms, cess collection processes, range of social security benefits, and enforcement practices. The delegates commended the Board’s extensive reach, strong governance, and measurable impact on workers’ welfare. They noted that the model offered valuable lessons and practical, replicable strategies to strengthen social security systems in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Ponkumar Ponnuswamy, Chairman of the BOCW Welfare Board and President of TKTMS, who facilitated the study tour and coordinated all meetings, shared the union’s more than four-decade-long journey and its struggles to secure separate legislation and welfare mechanisms for construction workers in Tamil Nadu. “Tamil Nadu’s welfare board model is built on the principle that every construction worker deserves dignity, protection, and a secure future. We are honoured that our experience and best practices can contribute to strengthening social security systems in neighbouring countries. We look forward to continued collaboration with partners in Sri Lanka and Nepal. Such exchanges strengthen the collective movement for workers’ rights across South Asia.”

The exchange visit concluded with remarks from Dr R. C. Khuntia, BWI World Board Member and President of INBCWWF, who reaffirmed BWI’s full support in strengthening social security frameworks across South Asia.