Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Inaugurates Regional Meeting on Labour Reforms and Employment in Lucknow

Lucknow: Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, inaugurated a regional meeting with five States and Union Territories—Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi—in Lucknow today. This marks the fifth meeting in a series of six regional consultations organized by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, emphasizing the spirit of cooperative federalism in advancing labour reforms and employment generation across India.

The discussions focused on key issues, including labour reforms, the eShram Portal, Building & Other Construction Workers (BoCW) welfare schemes, and employment generation, showcasing the Government’s commitment to inclusive development and the welfare of all sections of the workforce.

In her address, Sushri Karandlaje highlighted the crucial role that states must play in the successful implementation of labour reforms. The primary objective of the meeting was to facilitate close interaction between the Centre and states, identify gaps, address concerns, and chart a collaborative way forward. She urged the states to align their policies with the Central Government’s vision and emphasized the importance of ensuring the welfare of unorganised workers, motivating state officials to fully leverage tools such as the eShram portal.

Sumita Dawra, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, further stressed the need for a “whole of Government” approach in reforming the labour sector. She called for stronger synergies between States and Union Territories to advance labour reforms, create quality jobs, enhance youth employability, and promote ease of doing business. She also announced plans to develop an index that would rank States and UTs based on their employment generation and data collection efforts, encouraging healthy competition and collaboration.

During the meeting, states were encouraged to integrate with the eShram portal to create a comprehensive one-stop solution for workers’ welfare. The portal, which has already integrated with over ten government schemes such as One Nation One Ration Card, PM Awas Yojana, and MGNREGA, aims to streamline benefits for workers across the country.

The expectations from States and UTs were clearly outlined, including the timely submission of employment returns and job-fair details, two-way integration with the eShram portal, and a focus on creating quality jobs through state-level reforms. Additionally, the meeting addressed the expansion of welfare coverage for BoCW workers and the integration of welfare data with eShram to ensure better access to Central schemes like PMJJBY, PMSBY, and PMJAY.

On the topic of employment generation, discussions centered around the modernization of Employment Exchanges, building partnerships with educational institutions, and fostering industry collaboration. The modernization of ESIC services, improved infrastructure utilization, and streamlined fund flows were also emphasized as key areas for states to focus on.

Extensive interactive sessions between state officers and central government officials allowed for concerns to be raised and suggestions to be shared. Best practices from various states were presented as models for others to follow.

Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, thanked the State and UT officials for their active participation and urged them to continue cooperating on labour reform initiatives. He assured them of full support from the Government of India to ensure the successful implementation of these efforts.