States asked to speed up rules, nominate officials for Labour Code rollout

Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani urged states and UTs to nominate officials, accelerate rule finalisation and support training to ensure smooth rollout of the four Labour Codes from FY27

Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani on Tuesday asked states and union territories (UTs) to nominate representatives to facilitate training and raise awareness about the Labour Codes at the state level.

 

Gurnani was speaking at a two-day regional conference in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday to facilitate the smooth implementation of the four new Labour Codes.

 

She said that the VV Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) is conducting a series of capacity-building programmes under the Labour Codes and states should also assist in training and knowledge sharing, according to a statement by the Labour Ministry.

 

The consultation period for the draft rules for the Labour Codes ended last week after the 30-to-45-day period lapsed following the notification of the rules.

 

She also urged states and UTs to expedite the finalisation of rules, making effective use of the Labour Ministry’s FAQs and handbook on the Codes. She asked states to act as model employers by ensuring minimum wages, timely payment of wages and provision of social security benefits to workers and employees engaged in state establishments, including those engaged through contractors.

 

The Labour Secretary also encouraged states to actively use the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) dashboard and strengthen Centre–State collaboration to expand Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) coverage.

 

This was the fourth in a series of five regional conferences planned by the Ministry at different locations, covering states, UTs and key stakeholders, to enable smooth implementation of the four Labour Codes. Before this, three conferences were held in Goa, Jaipur and Vijayawada covering the northern, western and southern regions.

 

The conference included discussions on drafting and notifying the finalised rules, upgrading IT systems at both central and state levels in alignment with the Codes’ provisions, and integrating state IT platforms with the central digital framework.

 

The government previously stated it aims to make the four Codes fully effective starting the next financial year, FY27. Before that, it will notify the finalised rules once stakeholder consultations conclude and suggestions are incorporated.