Will ensure that no worker is left behind: Dr Mandaviya at BRICS labour meet
New Delhi, July 15
Labour Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said that we are confident and committed to building resilient labour markets that are formal, inclusive, gender-responsive, digitally empowered and future-ready, ensuring that no worker is left behind.
Addressing the 'BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting' in Hyderabad under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, Dr Mandaviya said India's Chairship has been guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approached with a 'people-centric' approach and in the spirit of 'Humanity First'.
The minister told the gathering that India consolidated 29 outdated labour laws into four modern Labour Codes in November 2025, marking a landmark reform that creates a worker-centric ecosystem for India's 1.4 billion citizens.
He said that the e-Shram portal has enabled unique identification, de-duplication and seamless access to welfare benefits for over 317 million registered unorganised workers.
The National Career Service portal combines job-matching, skills mapping and counselling, with the flexible design of India's digital platforms allowing rapid expansion of services to new worker categories such as platform workers.
India has also shared this technology with partner countries, including Mauritius, he added.
Notably, Dr Mandaviya underlined India's consistent initiatives to strengthen international labour mobility by connecting its skilled, future-ready workforce with emerging global opportunities.
He said that India today hosts more than 2,100 Global Capability Centres employing 2.35 million professionals and generating nearly USD 98 billion in annual revenue.
BRICS shares a responsibility to shape a future of work that is productive and equitable. "This forum provides a unique opportunity for the Global South to shape solutions that are practical, inclusive and people-centric," he emphasised.
In his video message, Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director General, International Labour Organisation (ILO) commended India's leadership for placing labour and employment at the heart of the BRICS agenda.
The Director General extended his appreciation for India's robust social security ecosystem, which has seen rapid expansion in the past decade.
"According to ILO running estimates, India's social protection system now reaches 1 billion people. This milestone offers lessons that can be shared through South-South cooperation," he said in his message.
A major outcome of the meeting was the adoption of the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Declaration, reflecting the shared commitment of BRICS countries to promote decent work, strengthen social protection systems, enhance employability, support inclusive growth, and deepen cooperation in the labour and employment domain.
The Declaration reaffirmed the importance of South-South cooperation, mutual learning, and practical collaboration among BRICS members in addressing common labour market challenges.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Very impressed with the gender-responsive approach highlighted by Dr Mandaviya. Women workers in India have long been neglected in labour policy. The mention of 'no worker left behind' gives me hope. However, I wish there was more specific data on how many women workers have actually benefited from e-Shram. Gender sensitivity in policy is good, but numbers matter more!
As a daily wage worker in Mumbai, I want to believe these reforms will help us. The talk about 'future-ready' labour markets sounds good in Hyderabad meetings, but back here, my neighbours still struggle without proper contracts or benefits. The real question is: when will this reach someone like me? I'm cautiously optimistic but need to see action, not just declarations.
I work as a platform gig worker and the mention of expanding NCS to include 'platform workers' is music to my ears! We are often invisible in labour statistics. The e-Shram portal giving unique IDs is a great start. But we need proper social security—medical insurance, accident cover, pension. Hope the BRICS declaration pushes India to implement Code on Social Security properly for all workers!
Good to see India leading BRICS on labour issues. The fact that 1 billion Indians now have social protection (as per ILO) is truly remarkable. But let's be honest—the 2,100 GCCs and $98 billion revenue are mostly in tech and services. What about our agricultural workers, who still form the largest workforce? Need more focus on formalization of farm labour too.
J James A As an Australian We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.