The missing half of Viksit Bharat: A case for labour codes as growth strategy

OR India to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047, increasing women's workforce participation is imperative. Female labour force participation stands at 41.7%, and Viksit Bharat aims to raise this to 70%. Bridging this 30-point gap, atits core, is about unlocking national productivity and ensuring India's growth story is shaped by all, not just half. Despite gains in education, digital access, and entrepreneurship, much potential remains untapped. India must build a labour ecosystem that enables women to enter, remain, and advance, and the implementation of India's unified labour codes presents a rare opportu-

- ARTI AHUJA Former Secretary, Labour and Employment, Govt of India KARTHICK M P Assistant Vice President, Strategy and Research, Udaiti Foundation

nity to dismantle these systemic barriers and convert inclusion into productivity.

Consider thisSita, a registered e-Shram worker in Uttar Pradesh, stitches garments at home for a contractor, earning an irregular income while raising two children with no access to childcare. For women like her, the new labour codes can be a gamechanger. A nearby textile factory is now hiring women for shift work with formal contracts. For the first time, India's labour law architecture is poised to become an enabler rather than a barrier for millions of women like Sita.

The labour codes, enacted between 2019 and 2020, consolidate 29 fragmented laws into four streamlined frameworks: the Codes on Wages, Social Security, Occupational Safety, and Industrial Relations. The legislative intent is bold, and now multiple states are rapidly moving towards rolling them out. India has a crucial window to translate intent into impact, and here's what this impact looks like.

Social security: Visibility as a first step