"labour-reforms"

Despite recognising gig workers under the Code on Social Security, the Budget fails to allocate funds or outline implementation plans

India’s new labour codes significantly expand social security coverage, formalise gig and platform workers, and streamline compliance for businesses. The reforms introduce universal wages, fixed-term employment benefits, simplified registrations, and higher thresholds for retrenchment approvals, aiming to create a modern, balanced labour ecosystem

The four labour codes are likely to become fully operational from April 1, 2026, with the Centre preparing to pre-publish updated draft rules. The government aims to finalise rules after public feedback and expand social security coverage to 100 crore workers

The government will soon notify the new Labour Codes, which aim to create a more inclusive workforce by strengthening worker rights, expanding social security to gig workers and improving health and safety provisions. Industry leaders say the reforms will boost investment and competitiveness

Though the long-awaited labour codes represent genuine reforms, the government must address the concerns of unions fully and fairly

SCCL trade unions staged a protest in Kothagudem against the Centre’s decision to replace 29 labour laws with four labour codes. Union leaders accused the government of undermining workers’ rights and announced black-badge protests and memoranda submissions across SCCL area

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu praised India’s new labour codes as a landmark reform, highlighting their role in worker safety, fair wages, gender parity, gig worker protections, and aligning workforce standards with global best practice

Saudi Arabia has abolished the Kafala system and introduced sweeping labour reforms to protect expatriate workers. Through platforms like 'Qiwa' and the 'Wage Protection Programme', employment contracts are now digitised, transparent, and regulated. Workers can switch jobs or return home after contract expiry, and wage delays can trigger job mobility.

Rising tariffs, stagnant productivity, and AI disruptions demand a Commission for Productivity and Employment Growth

Achieving manufacturing self-reliance is a strategic imperative for State’s future, with MSMEs playing a pivotal role in this transformation

By Arun Sinha The noted economist Surjit Bhalla’s argument that food subsidy has wiped out extreme poverty in India is highly erroneous. Bhalla, who arrived at this conclusion in a recent study done for the International Monetary Fund with two other economists, wants to make us believe that if only the stomachs of the poor […]