The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, conducted district-level Capacity Building and Awareness Programmes under its "Shram Samvad" initiative across five industrial clusters on September 30, 2026. The programs were held in Bhiwadi and Bhilwara in Rajasthan, East Delhi, Dehradun in Uttarakhand, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra.
The Shram Samvad campaign is a 90-day nationwide outreach initiative launched on September 28, 2026, aiming to cover 316 districts across all 36 States and Union Territories with a focus on industrial clusters. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between legislative framework and ground implementation by providing clarity on provisions, applicability, and compliance requirements under the new Labour Codes.
At Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, the program was organized in collaboration with FICCI and the Bhiwadi Manufacturers Association (BMA), attended by more than 100 participants. Joint Secretary Ashutosh A.T. Pednekar delivered the keynote address outlining key provisions of the Labour Codes. Sessions covered the broad framework of Labour Codes, employer compliance requirements, Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY), and Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM).
In East Delhi, the program at SCOPE Minar, Laxmi Nagar, was addressed by Joint Secretary Dr. Mahendra Kumar and Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Labour) Pandurang Pole of the Government of NCT of Delhi, with more than 100 participants from industry and labor ecosystem. Technical sessions focused on the new Labour Codes, their objectives, major provisions, employer compliance requirements, PMVBRY, and PM-SYM.
The Dehradun program was organized in partnership with PHDCCI and attended by around 90 participants including industry associations, employers, industrialists, and professionals. Deputy Secretary Govind Ram provided an overview of the four Labour Codes and employer compliance chain, with participation from Director of Mines Safety Venkanna Banothu and Uttarakhand Labour Department representatives.
At Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, the program was organized with the Maharashtra Labour Department and witnessed participation of around 200 stakeholders including Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) representatives. Director Chaman Lal Guleria delivered the keynote address, with technical sessions covering Labour Codes, employer compliance requirements, PMVBRY, and PM-SYM.
In Bhilwara, Rajasthan, the program was organized with the Rajasthan Labour Department and attended by around 100 participants representing employers, industry, HR, legal and finance professionals. Director General Arvind of V.V. Giri National Labour Institute addressed the inaugural session, while Deputy Secretary Sanjay Rawat conducted the first technical session on the four Labour Codes, their objectives, and major reforms.
Across all five programs, technical discussions covered the Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Sessions focused on objectives and major provisions of the Codes, applicability thresholds, and employer obligations including wages, appointment letters, working hours, overtime, social-security coverage, workplace safety, contract labour, and industrial relations mechanisms.
All programs featured interactive Question-and-Answer sessions enabling participants to raise practical issues relating to applicability, statutory thresholds, records and returns, and employee benefits. Senior officials and representatives from EPFO, ESIC, and the Central Labour Commissioner's office participated across locations, allowing direct engagement with different arms of labor administration on implementation and compliance matters.