Shobha Karandlaje Leads Crucial Labour Reforms Meeting with Six Southern States and UTs

In her address, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje emphasized the crucial role that States must play in the successful implementation of labour reforms.

Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, chaired a significant regional meeting in Bengaluru today, bringing together representatives from six States and Union Territories—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Puducherry, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The meeting, also attended by Karnataka's Labour Minister Shri Santosh Lad, is the first in a series of six regional meetings organized by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, underscoring the spirit of Cooperative Federalism.

The discussions centered on key issues such as labour reforms, the eShram Portal, Building & Other Construction Workers (BoCW), and strategies to boost employment generation. These discussions reflect the Government’s commitment to fostering inclusive development and ensuring the welfare of all sections of the workforce.

In her address, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje emphasized the crucial role that States must play in the successful implementation of labour reforms. The meeting aimed to foster close interaction with States, identify existing gaps, address concerns, and chart a collaborative path forward. She encouraged all participating States to align their efforts with the broader vision set by the Central Government, highlighting the importance of State-level involvement in ensuring the welfare of unorganised workers through mechanisms like the eShram portal.

Shri Santosh Lad reaffirmed Karnataka's commitment to labour welfare, assuring that the development of State-specific rules would be carried out in a timely and comprehensive manner.

Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, set the context for the meeting by advocating for a ‘whole of Government’ approach in labour sector reforms. She stressed the need for States to harmonize their rules with Central Labour Codes to ensure uniformity and ease of compliance across the nation. This harmonization process, she noted, should involve consultation with industry, trade unions, and other stakeholders.

Highlighting the e-Shram portal as a One-Stop-Solution for unorganised workers, Ms. Dawra urged States to take a proactive stance in integrating their systems with the portal to facilitate access to social security and welfare measures. She also emphasized the importance of creating quality jobs and the need for a scientific framework to accurately capture State-level employment generation initiatives.

The meeting outlined specific expectations from States and UTs, including:

Timely and regular submission of employment returns and job-fair details to DGE via the NCS portal.

Time-bound two-way integration with the e-Shram portal.

Employment data creation with a focus on quality job creation.

A consultative approach to framing State-specific rules.

For BoCW, the meeting discussed expanding welfare coverage, ensuring audits, and integrating data with the eShram portal to enhance registration and extend Central Welfare schemes like PMJJBY, PMSBY, PMJAY, and PMSYM to construction workers. States and UTs were encouraged to increase cess collection and ensure compliance with model welfare schemes.

On employment generation, the modernization of Employment Exchanges, partnerships with educational institutions, and collaboration with industry were key discussion points. The meeting also emphasized the importance of improving ESIC services through better infrastructure utilization, forming State ESIC Societies, and streamlining fund flow.

The meeting featured extensive interactive sessions where State and UT officers discussed their concerns, addressed queries, and shared suggestions for future actions. Best practices from various States were also shared, providing valuable insights.

Mr. Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, concluded the meeting by thanking the participants and urging continued cooperation in implementing labour reform initiatives. He assured full support from the Government of India in these efforts.