New Labour Codes to simplify compliance, shift to collaborative regulatory approach

The new Labour Codes represent a move away from control-centred regulation towards a collaborative approach involving government, industry and workers, senior government officials said at a seminar in New Delhi. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, highlighted key improvements including consolidation of laws, reduced provisions, digitalisation of compliance through e-portals, uniform return filing and greater uniformity in wage definitions.

The new framework aims to extend social protection to gig, platform and unorganised workers by connecting government welfare schemes through digital platforms. The ministry is conducting awareness and training programmes across 316 districts with industrial clusters while preparing state labour machinery. Kumar noted that most states have pre-published their rules, and the ministry is working to complete state-level rule-making while providing clarity on floor wages and implementation issues.