The two-day Chintan Shivir of the Labour Ministers and Secretaries of Union and State governments, which concluded on Thursday (January 30, 2025), has decided to form three committees comprising five States each to develop a sustainable model for comprehensive social security coverage for workers. The committees will submit their reports in March. The meeting also elaborately discussed the implementation of various clauses under the new four Labour Codes.
The proposed shift from labour inspector to labour inspector-cum-facilitator model was one of the major labour reforms discussed in the meeting. “The overall objective of this reform is to reduce the compliance burden and promote ease of doing business, along with ensuring decent working conditions, equal opportunities at work and improved employee-employer relationships,” the Union Labour Ministry said in a release after the meeting. The shift is part of the Code on Industries.
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The meeting, chaired by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, was the last of the six regional workshops and several other consultations held over the past year with all 36 States and Union Territories on the implementation of the four Labour Codes and the expansion of social security coverage. “Three Committees comprising five States each were formed. Building on the discussions during the workshop, these Committees will hold consultations and develop a sustainable model for comprehensive social security coverage for workers, to be presented in March 2025,” the government said.
The meeting specifically discussed the welfare of construction workers. The Hindu had reported recently that the welfare boards for construction workers of various States have not yet used the cess worth ₹70,744.16 crore they collected from the employers for the welfare of the workers. Dr. Mandaviya emphasised developing sustainable social security models for these workers. “States showcased the progress made in utilising building and other construction workers cess funds in giving social security coverage, besides developing education and skill development institutions for children of building and construction workers. Innovative ways of utilising these resources for providing various social welfare initiatives like pension were widely deliberated,” the Ministry’s release added.
The Ministry told the participants in the meeting that it is designing a dedicated Social Security and Welfare Scheme for gig and platform workers. “Modalities of funding, data collection, and administration of the Scheme were discussed and States were urged to prioritise the sharing of data of unorganised workers, with a focus on gig and platform workers and support in their registration on eShram on mission mode,” the release added.
