Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Chairs Regional Meeting on Labour Reforms and Employment in Rajkot

Rajkot: Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, chaired a high-level regional meeting on labour reforms and employment today in Rajkot, Gujarat. The meeting, attended by representatives from five western states and union territories—Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Lakshadweep—focused on key labour issues, employment generation, and social protection measures.

This was the third in a series of six regional meetings organized by the Ministry of Labour & Employment to foster collaboration between the Central Government and States/UTs on labour reforms, welfare schemes, and employment data management.

Dr. Mandaviya highlighted the Government of India’s commitment to ensuring social protection for all workers, including those in both the organized and unorganized sectors. He emphasized the ongoing efforts to expand the coverage and services of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to all districts nationwide. “Greater coordination between the Centre, States, and UTs is essential, especially in leveraging Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence to provide efficient and accessible services to beneficiaries,” he said. The Dhanwantari Portal will be further strengthened to manage data in line with global standards, he added.

The Minister also announced the proposed convergence between ESIS and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which will provide ESIC/ESIS beneficiaries access to over 30,000 empaneled hospitals across the country, eliminating distinctions between government, public sector, and private hospitals.

Dr. Mandaviya lauded the success of the National Career Service (NCS) portal, which now offers over 16 lakh active vacancies and has mobilized more than 3 crore job opportunities to date. The portal is set to receive a major upgrade with AI-powered job matching features and integration with the e-Shram portal, making it a hub for employment services across sectors.

The Minister stressed the need for better employment data collection and urged states and UTs to collaborate on a centralized dashboard equipped with advanced analytics for policy-making. He also called for more frequent feedback collection from beneficiaries of welfare schemes to refine their design and implementation.

Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Labour & Employment, underscored the need for greater collaboration to expedite labour reforms. She praised the consolidation of 29 labour laws into four simplified labour codes as a landmark achievement. Highlighting the demographic shift expected by 2030, where 65% of India’s population will be of working age, she noted the importance of skill development and quality employment generation. She mentioned the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) schemes announced in the Union Budget 2024-2025 with an outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crore, which aim to support businesses and empower youth.

Dawra also discussed the success of the e-Shram portal, which has registered over 30 crore unorganized workers since its launch in 2021, and urged states to integrate their systems to provide better access to welfare schemes.