Labour reforms fully operationalised: Mandaviya
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said the central Government has fully operationalised the four new labour codes and emphasised that the current Government is pro-poor and industry-friendly.
Speaking at CII Annual Business Summit 2026, the minister said labour and Industry should complement each other and adapt to change for effective coordination.
He said the four new labour codes consolidated 29 labour laws into a simplified and contemporary framework.
Earlier this month, after a long wait of over five years, the central Government fully operationalised the four labour codes by publishing rules. The four codes are namely the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, came into effect from November 21, 2025.
The labour reforms are aimed at ending “Inspector Raaj” and providing for single registration and a single window for industry, Mandaviya said, adding that “now labour inspectors are made facilitators and they give ample chance to comply with laws”.
Highlighting that labour is also as important as the industry is in the country, the Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, said “our Government pro-poor, pro-farmer and also industry friendly.”
He said the new legal framework provides equal wages for equal work to both men and women and noted that employment will be generated only when industrialists create wealth and pay taxes.
On May 9, the central Government fully operationalised the four labour codes by publishing rules, ensuring minimum wage and universal social security for all workers.
The enforcement of the codes will mark the next transformative step — broadening worker protection, easing business operations and promoting a pro-worker labour ecosystem.
The provisions of the labour codes include a mandatory appointment letter, free health check-ups for workers aged 40 years and above, and equal work, pay and opportunity for women working in different shifts.
The rules also capped the weekly working hours at 48 hours and provided for at least one weekend off or rest day to workers, and payment of overtime for working beyond working hours.
He also urged everyone to curtail the use of petroleum products and buying gold in view of the West Asia crisis, as appealed by the Prime Minister earlier this month.
PM Narendra Modi on Sunday called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.
Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana BJP in Hyderabad, he suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), utilising railway services for parcel movement, and working from home to conserve foreign exchange amid the crisis in West Asia.
Stressing the need to conserve foreign exchange amid the crisis, Modi called for postponing gold purchases and foreign travel for one year.
