Ministry’s “Shram Samvad” awareness campaign on labour codes

The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the 90-day nationwide “Shram Samvad” awareness campaign on 28 September 2026. The campaign covers industrial clusters in 316 districts across all 36 States and Union Territories and focuses on the four Labour Codes and stakeholder dialogue.

Four Labour Codes in India

The four Labour Codes are the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. These codes were technically operationalised on 21 November 2025 and replaced 29 legacy labour laws.

Rules and Enforcement Framework

The Central Rules for the Labour Codes were notified on 8 and 9 May 2026. Full enforcement across India depends on individual States framing and notifying their own rules, and several State-level rules remain in draft or pending stages. The Labour Codes form part of India’s labour law consolidation process, which groups multiple laws into fewer statutory codes. The Code on Wages, 2019 applies to wage-related provisions, while the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 deals with trade unions, strikes, and industrial disputes.

Campaign Coverage and Institutional Context

A District Awareness Programme under the campaign was held at the Regional Labour Institute, Faridabad, on 28 September 2026. The programme included about 75 participants from the employer community and State authorities. The campaign is linked to industrial relations, labour administration, and compliance awareness at the district level. Industrial clusters are a common administrative unit for labour outreach because they concentrate factories, establishments, and workers in specific geographic areas.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Code on Social Security, 2020 consolidates provisions related to provident fund, employees’ state insurance, gratuity, maternity benefit, and social security for unorganised workers.
• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 covers workplace safety, health standards, and working conditions in establishments and factories.
• The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 includes provisions on standing orders, retrenchment, layoffs, closure, and dispute resolution.
• India’s labour law consolidation into four codes replaced 29 central labour laws with a single code-based framework.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the campaign during the National Conference on Industrial Relations and Labour & Awards 2026 in New Delhi. The campaign also links labour awareness with skill development in Artificial Intelligence, automation, and robotics.