Speaking at the National Conference on Industrial Relations and Labour, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry on Monday, Mandaviya called for a change in the conventional mindset of pro-industry policies being perceived as anti-labour, and vice-versa, he urged both industry and workers to progress together as partners in nation-building.
Talking about expanding the outreach of Labour Codes, Mandaviya said the ministry is launching a mega awareness campaign titled “Shram Samvad” with effect from today, under which industrial clusters across 316 districts in all 36 states and union territories will be covered over the next 90 days.
Mandaviya noted that India’s strong economic growth in recent years has been accompanied by rising employment opportunities, with every 1% growth in the economy translating into 1.11% employment growth during 2017–23, compared to just 0.008% earlier.
Emphasising upon the importance of continuous dialogue and consultations among all stakeholders for strengthening industrial relations, Mandaviya said, “Wherever there is Samvaad, there is Samadhan”.
He stressed that best practices should be shared and adopted to foster harmonious industrial relations and ensure that the interests of both industry and workers move forward together.
Mandaviya underlined the expansion of India’s social security coverage over the past decade, rising from 19% of the population in 2015 to cover 101 crore people, or 68% of the population as on date, as recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).