India Rolls Out

CONTD. FROM FRONT PAGE

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return system.

According to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the labour Codes will formalise employment, strengthen worker protections, and make the labour ecosystem simpler, safer and globally aligned.

Additional systemic reforms include a national floor wage, gender-neutral work policies, the Inspector-cum-Facilitator model for supportive compliance, faster dispute resolution through two-member tribunals, and a National Occupational Safety, Health (OSH) Board to harmonise safety standards.

The government will now initiate consultations to frame detailed rules and schemes.

During the transition, provisions of existing labour laws will remain applicable wherever required.

The social-security coverage had expanded from 19 per cent in 2015 to over 64 per cent in 2025. The enforcement of the Labour Codes marks the next transformative step -- broadening worker protections, easing business operations and promoting a pro-worker labour ecosystem.

According to a labour ministry statement, the Codes lay the foundation for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

India's labour laws were framed in the preIndependence and early post-Independence era (1930s-1950s), at a time when the economy and world of work were fundamentally different.

Labour Minister Mandaviya said on X, "Modi Government's Guarantee: Dignity for Every Worker! From today, the new labour codes have been made effective in the country."

The minister said the codes will guarantee minimum wages for all workers, appointment letters for the youth, equal pay and respect for women, social security for 40 crore workers, gratuity for fixed-term employees after one year of employment, free annual health checkups for workers above 40 years of age, double wages for overtime, 100 per cent health security for workers in hazardous sectors and social justice for workers as per international standards.