Labour Ministry

India's graduate labour participation rate fell to a five-year low in September as the educated population grew faster than employment, while fewer graduates actively sought jobs

Shram Samvad campaign will cover industrial clusters across 316 districts, with consultations involving industry, lawyers, chartered accountants and other stakeholders

Ten states have already published their rules, while the remaining states and Union Territories have issued drafts for consultation, Labour Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar said

The proposed revamp would raise reimbursement limits for heart and kidney treatment, add dialysis coverage and introduce QR-enabled health cards and digital medical records

Proposed measures include real-time data access for states, district-level workshops and industry inputs on skills and short-term training needed by employers

Of the 9.99 million first-time employees enrolled under PM-VBRY, 2.85 million were women and 7.14 million were men, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha

The Centre told Parliament it has not conducted a dedicated audit of mandatory workplace creche provisions and does not maintain data on compliance by establishments

At the Mumbai meeting, states and UTs are expected to present the progress made on these initiatives, share best practices and highlight challenges faced during implementation

India's gig worker social security push faces uncertainty as companies seek clarity on worker definitions, registration duties and e-Shram portal compliance

India's social protection coverage increased to over 100 crore citizens in 2026, up from 25 crore in 2015, according to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The minister, in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, highlighted the landmark validation of the country's social security landscape by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). "India breaches 1 billion mark in Social Protection Coverage!" Mandaviya wrote on X, thanking ILO Director-General Gilbert F Houngbo "for acknowledging India's efforts towards expanding social protection coverage". In the same post, the minister laid out the scale of the shift: "Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, India's social protection coverage has grown from 25 crore citizens (19 per cent) in 2015 to over 100 crore citizens (68.4 per cent) in 2026, reflecting the Modi government's commitment to Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. The numbers mark one of the steepest expansions of social security coverage recorded

Brics labour ministers adopted a joint declaration in Hyderabad and launched the India-backed CONNECT platform to strengthen cooperation on labour, skills and social security

UNDP India chief Angela Lusigi says reducing women's unpaid care burden through affordable childcare is key to boosting workforce participation and improving access to skilling

The Centre will also constitute a Central Advisory Board (CAB), which will hold consultations before recommending the national floor wage

The Labour Ministry and ILO are developing a global skills-based occupation framework to help GCCs map talent, identify skill gaps and strengthen workforce planning

Corporation approves direct management of upcoming ESI hospitals, extends the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana till June 2027, and clears new medical education and healthcare initiatives

The statutory social security body will review its audit framework and recommend reforms after the CAG flagged deficiencies in financial controls, audit timelines and record-keeping

States asked to integrate portals as government moves towards a common labour administration framework

Labour Ministry is considering a universal pension scheme under EPFO that would let workers contribute flexibly at any time, aiming to widen retirement coverage across formal and informal sectors

IFAT says non-compliance by aggregator firms is delaying welfare schemes and social security benefits for lakhs of gig and platform workers across the country

The labour ministry has started consultations with industry bodies on migrant worker welfare, focusing on housing, portability of benefits and registration reforms