Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 for construction workers who are out of work due to the curbs imposed as part of pollution control measures in the national capital.

As of Wednesday, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan was in force in Delhi. GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent further worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.

From Stage III onwards, GRAP mandates a ban on non-essential construction work and the closure of stone crushers and mining activities. Stage IV includes additional restrictions, such as a complete halt on construction activities for both public and private projects.

On Wednesday, Mishra said that Stage III was in place for 16 days and that workers affected by the restrictions during this period would receive Rs 10,000 as compensation.

“Similarly, workers will be awarded compensation for the days Stage IV remains in place,” he said, adding that the benefit would be extended only to workers registered with the government.

He added that the registration process was ongoing.

The compensation scheme would exclude workers employed in hospitals, departments involved in pollution control, the fire department and other essential services.

Mishra also said that all government and private institutions in Delhi must ensure that 50% of their staff work from home from Thursday or face action.