Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India has undertaken wide-ranging labour reforms guided by the principle of Antyodaya through consolidation of 29 Central Labour Laws into four Labour Codes at the 114 International Labour Conference (ILO) meet in Geneva.
Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation and addressed the Plenary Session, congratulating the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Karandlaje said that youth employability in India has increased from 34 per cent in 2014 to over 56 per cent in 2025.
Between 2017 and 2025, unemployment rate fell from 6 per cent to 3.1 per cent, and women’s workforce participation surged from 22 per cent to 38.8 per cent, she added.
India’s increasing female labour force participation and the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to promote employment generation were also elucidated.
The minister held a bilateral meeting with Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General, ILO. She reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the ILO in advancing decent work, social justice and inclusive growth.
She apprised the Director-General of the expansion of India’s social protection coverage, which as per preliminary estimates of ILO has reached 68.4 per cent of the total population, corresponding to 1,001 million beneficiaries.
Karandlaje also held bilateral meeting with Christine Nkulikiyinka, Minister of Public Service and Labour of Rwanda. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in employment services, skilling, workforce planning and digital governance, according to the statement.
