Latest Updates on New Labour Codes

Cabinet clears Bill to rename MGNREGS as 'Poojya Bapu Grameen Rozgar Yojana' and raise guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days

Delhi HC flagged concerns that the Centre may have enforced the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 without formally repealing older labour laws, and has sought clarity on how the transition was notified

It's a relief that the four new labour laws that New Delhi has brought in, after delaying them for five years for fear of political backlash, haven't gone that far

The Centre has notified implementation of four labour codes, including new provisions for gig workers. But definitions, enforcement capacity and state rules may decide how far benefits reach

Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said draft rules under four new labour codes will be pre-published soon, with full implementation and social security coverage expected by April 2026

The 72-hour work week has been a topic of debate. Some industry leaders support the idea, while many young professionals strongly oppose it. Do new labour codes support it?

Earlier, safety regulations in this sector relied mainly on the Factories Act, 1948, which provided a limited, factory-centric approach to hazardous industries

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 Centre reportedly is planning to ask EPFO to design new provident fund and pension schemes for self-employed and gig workers under the Social Security Code, offering flexible contributions

Today's Best of BS Opinion looks at India's real GDP growth contrasts with weak nominal growth, persistent air pollution, confusion over AI , and uncertain labour-code implementation and more

The new codes, consolidating 29 laws, promise enhanced social security for gig workers and women, amid data showing rising wages but high wealth inequality

India's new labour Codes promise sweeping reform, but weak state capacity, patchy data, and political risk may once again turn ambitious legislation into uneven, middling execution

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

Reforms modernise a tangled legal regime and open new opportunities, yet overtime rules, size controls and paternalistic mandates still limit true choice for workers

Kerala Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Thursday made it clear that the Centre's Labour Codes would not be implemented in the state. Speaking to reporters here, Sivankutty said that the majority of the states have taken steps to implement the labour codes, but not Kerala. The minister further said that the Union Labour Ministry had called a meeting of all the states last month and there, Kerala had clearly indicated its stand that it would not implement the labour codes. When reporters asked whether the state succumbed to central pressure to prepare the draft regulations linked to the labour codes, he denied it. "If we were succumbing to central government pressure, we would have given a letter accepting the codes. we have not done that," he said. The draft regulation was notified in the state on December 14, 2021. He also asserted that the draft regulations were not prepared in secret. "It was done openly and I recommended in the file that public opinion be sought regarding it.