Schemes implemented through welfare boards for unorganised workers in Tamil Nadu must be continued, Pon Kumar, Chairman, Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board, said here on Sunday.

He was addressing a May Day meeting organised jointly by the Tamil Nadu Farmers and Workers Party, the Construction Workers Central Union and the Unorganised Workers Central Union in Thanjavur. District president A. Arokiasamy presided over the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pon Kumar said applications for housing and house construction assistance for construction workers had been pending for the past three years after being registered online and placed on a waiting list. He urged the government to expedite the disbursal of ₹4 lakh assistance for housing without delay.

Resolutions were adopted at the meeting urging the government to regulate the prices of construction materials such as sand, bricks, M-sand, P-sand, cement, jelly, steel and timber. They said the steep increase had led to job losses among workers.

At a press interaction later, Mr. Pon Kumar said C. Joseph Vijay, who had assumed office as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, should continue schemes implemented during the previous regime, particularly those benefiting unorganised workers through welfare boards, to instill confidence among voters.

He added that the electorate had opted for change as established parties had failed to gain the trust of new voters, and said money alone could not ensure electoral victory. The election of ordinary citizens as MLAs was a welcome development.