The Supreme Court today criticized the Centre for not uploading the draft of a welfare scheme for construction workers on the Labour Ministry website.

Dubbing the ministry’s affidavit as false, the top court said, it was making a joke of a plan for the poor involving a whopping 30,000 crore rupees.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta summoned the Union Labour Secretary to explain why its order was not complied with.

The top court had earlier too lashed out at the Centre after an affidavit was filed by the Comptroller and Auditor General saying that a chunk of the funds meant for the construction workers’ welfare had been spent to buy laptops and washing machines and less than ten per cent spent for the actual purpose.

This had prompted the apex court to direct the government to frame a model scheme for the welfare of construction workers across the country by September 30 to address the issues of education, health, social security and pension for them.