Patiala, Sept. 15 -- The Punjab labour department adopted the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana for women construction workers without securing the required concurrence of the Union labour ministry-a mandatory procedure under Section 7, Sub-section 6(i) of the Code on Social Security, 2020. The procedural lapse was admitted by the Punjab labour department during a meeting with Union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya at the national conference organised by the ministry of labour and employment in Mumbai on September 11. Punjab labour secretary Manvesh Singh Sidhu acknowledged in the meeting that the state introduced the scheme without central concurrence. Sidhu also informed the Union minister that the Punjab and Haryana high court had subsequently stayed the diversion of funds from the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board corpus. The petition, filed by the Dr Ambedkar Workers Union, challenged the board's July 2, 2026, resolution to divert construction worker welfare funds into the state's broader cash dole initiative, as well as decisions concerning board restructuring and worker pension cuts. During the interaction, Sidhu requested clear guidelines from the Union ministry on how to obtain retrospective concurrence for newly introduced welfare programmes. Under the 2020 code, any new welfare scheme formulated for building workers by a state government requires formal agreement from the central government. Mandaviya responded that central oversight was introduced to maintain uniformity and prevent the diversion of welfare capital. He noted that schemes are sometimes launched for political reasons without long-term planning, eventually turning into financial liabilities that waste funds meant for labour welfare. However, regarding the 16 existing state schemes currently under review, the minister said that the Centre would grant approval upon receiving formal proposals. Clarifying his stance, Sidhu said that Punjab, alongside representatives from other states, raised the issue to seek standing instructions on the procedure for obtaining central concurrence before rolling out new initiatives. The high court proceedings centre on Section 7, Sub-section 6(i) of the Act, with petitioners arguing that without central concurrence, the board's July 2 resolution cannot be legally validated. Both the State of Punjab and the Union of India have been granted time by the court to submit their instructions and affidavits....