Labour Secretary Chairs Regional Meeting in Bhubaneswar, Discusses Employment Generation and Labour Reforms with Eastern States

Bhubaneswar: The Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, held a key regional consultation meeting in Bhubaneswar today, focusing on employment generation, labour reforms, and social protection for workers. The meeting, chaired by Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, included representatives from the eastern states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. This was the fourth in a series of regional consultations being organized nationwide to enhance collaboration between the Centre and States/Union Territories on labour and employment issues.

In her opening remarks, Dawra emphasized the need for stronger synergy between the Central Government and the States to generate quality employment and ensure the welfare of all workers, in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. She highlighted the recently announced Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, introduced in the Union Budget 2024-25 with an outlay of ₹1,07,000 crore, aimed at supporting both large enterprises and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to boost employability and formalize the labour force.

Dawra also discussed the landmark labour reforms undertaken by the Government of India, which have simplified and consolidated 29 labour laws into four Labour Codes. These reforms, she noted, are designed to promote labour welfare while facilitating investment and job creation. She called upon the States to harmonize their respective draft rules with the Central Government’s Labour Codes to ensure uniformity and enhance the benefits for workers across the country.

A key point of discussion was the progress under the eShram initiative, a comprehensive social protection platform for unorganized workers. Since its launch in 2021, over 30 crore workers from sectors such as construction, street vending, and transportation have registered on the portal. The Secretary urged the States to expedite two-way integration with the eShram portal, making it an effective one-stop solution for accessing welfare schemes, skilling programs, and employment opportunities for unorganized and migrant workers.

The meeting also focused on the recently launched Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW) Management Information System (MIS) portal, designed to aid States and Union Territories in better planning and implementing welfare schemes for BoCW workers. Dawra stressed the importance of timely onboarding onto the portal to improve data accuracy and ensure coverage of social security benefits, including educational support for the wards of BoCW workers.

Furthermore, the meeting highlighted the need for a joint Centre-State mechanism to compile accurate employment-related data, feeding into a centralized dashboard equipped with advanced analytics. This, Dawra explained, would help States develop better policies for stimulating quality employment generation.

Representatives from the participating States shared their insights, best practices, and digital innovations for easing labour law compliance and conducting web-based inspections. They expressed their appreciation for the interactive nature of the meeting and assured their commitment to collaborative efforts with the Centre.