Labour Ministry

Pilot to cover 7.11 lakh inoperative EPFO accounts with ₹1,000 or less; funds to be auto-credited to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts without fresh claims

Labour Ministry releases a handbook outlining 23 compliance actions for employers under the four Labour Codes, offering clarity ahead of final rules expected by the end of the fiscal year

Despite large Budget allocations for PMIS and ELI, uptake remains low due to design issues, wage concerns and limited reach beyond big firms, prompting calls for a rethink

The labour ministry will shortly decide on raising EPFO and ESIC wage ceilings, fixing a national floor wage and increasing the minimum pension under EPS, as it targets wider social security coverage

Even as the labour ministry received its highest-ever allocation in Budget 2026-27, revised estimates show a majority of funds remained unutilised, largely due to low spending on central schemes

The Labour Ministry accounted for the highest share of grievances filed with the Centre in 2025 till November, driven mainly by EPFO-related complaints, according to DARPG data

EPFO may empanel 'Suvidha Providers' to help members resolve grievances for a small fee, with the proposal set for approval at the CBT meeting in February

Delivery workers say companies have not communicated any changes to timelines or incentives, even as quick-commerce platforms remove 10-minute delivery claims from consumer-facing apps

Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reportedly held a series of meetings with quick-commerce companies and urged them to discontinue the branding associated with ultra-fast deliveries

Centre pre-publishes draft labour rules, says gig workers must work 90 days a year to qualify for social security benefits; stakeholders can give feedback

The labour ministry has extended the SPREE 2025 deadline to January 31, 2026 after requests from employers and state governments, keeping 'no past dues' and no inspections benefit

Revised draft rules for the four Labour Codes clarify key provisions such as gratuity on 'wages' and gig worker registration, with stakeholder inputs invited for up to 45 days

The Labour Ministry said the PMVBRY portal recorded 235K establishment registrations in 2025, with incentives for first-time employees and employers for jobs created between 2025 and 2027

Noting that only Madhya Pradesh and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu had reported creche facilities on the central portal for women construction workers, a Parliamentary committee has recommended that the Ministry of Labour explore the feasibility of involving NGOs for opening creches for women. In a report titled Safety and protection of women in unorganised sector' tabled in Parliament, the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women, chaired by BJP MP D Purandeswari, also recommended extending the operating hours of the creches to match women's work schedules (8 hours), ensuring childcare aligns with employment needs. It also recommended a mandate of a fixed percentage of CSR funds for childcare and maternity support in the informal sector. According to the report, The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, mandates comprehensive welfare measures for women construction workers. Th

Gurnani said that both the Centre and state governments will help the labour inspectors understand their new role of inspector-cum-facilitator and provide them with training

Going ahead, data from these portals can help the government curate a labour policy to match workers' skill sets to job opportunities both in India and abroad

According to a NITI Aayog report, nearly 10 million gig workers were employed in the country in 2024-25, with the number projected to grow to 23.5 million by 2029-30

The new laws are expected to create 7.7 million additional jobs and bring down unemployment by as much as 1.3 per cent over the medium term, according to a Nov 25 report by SBI Research

Gurnani said that the labour ministry will republish the draft rules soon and give 45 days' time for public consultation

Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani talks about how the ministry plans to enforce worker protections without bureaucratic drags and how states are aligning their rules with the national framework