The Punjab and Haryana High Court has continued its restraint on the release of funds meant for construction workers for the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana.Among other things, the Bench held that the state scheme was not restricted to construction workers.“So far as the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana and its adoption by the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board is concerned, we find that the scheme of the state is not restricted to construction workers, and therefore, the restraint imposed earlier on release of funds – meant for construction workers – for Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana, shall continue to remain stayed.” the Division Bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor said.The order came on a bunch of petitions, including a public interest litigation filed by Dr Ambedkar Workers Union, Punjab. The petitions against the state of Punjab and other respondents had questioned the constitution of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board under the repealed Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, and also challenged the Board’s adoption of the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana, notified by the Punjab Government on July 2.The petitioners had primarily contended that the eligibility under the scheme was not limited to construction workers and release of funds for such a scheme would, therefore, be contrary to the statutory scheme. The Court had taken note of the contention while granting interim protection on July 23.The State subsequently placed on record an amendment notified on August 13, constituting the Board under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The State’s case was that the defect relating to the constitution of the Board under the earlier notification stood cured by the subsequent notification.The petitioners were represented in the matter by advocates Raman B Garg, Mayank Garg, Komal Parveen Singh, HC Arora and Gagandeep Singh. Punjab was represented by Additional Advocate-General Jastej Singh while senior advocate Dheeraj Jain along with counsel Karanvir Singh Kathuria appeared for the Union of India.As the matter came up for resumed hearing, an affidavit was filed by the State of Punjab stating that 16 schemes, made exclusively for the registered workers, were all notified before November 21, 2025, when the earlier Act – Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 – came to be repealed.“A specific statement is made by the counsel appearing for the State of Punjab that all 16 schemes, which are referred to in the reply of the State, would be for the benefits of the registered workers exclusively. It is also stated that the funds under the schemes would be released in a fair and transparent manner,” the Bench noted.The Court, as such, permitted the release of funds under 16 schemes exclusively meant for registered construction workers. “Once a specific stand in this regard is taken, and the funds collected under the repealed Act of 1996 as well as the Code on Social Security, 2020, are to be utilised for the benefit of registered workers alone, we see no reason to interfere with the release of funds for such purpose, by the Board constituted under the Code of 2020.”Directing the withdrawal of the restraint imposed earlier by the Court to such extent, the Bench asserted: “The State shall be at liberty to utilise funds for the benefit of registered construction workers, as per the schemes which are exclusively meant for such construction workers. The Board will also be entitled to utilise funds under the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board for Ayushman Bharat Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana of the year 2021, for the benefit of construction workers.”