**Executive Summary**
Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya addressed Swiggy’s ‘SwigStree’ event on April 28, 2026, to champion women’s empowerment and gig worker welfare. The report highlights a significant rise in the Female Labour Force Participation Rate to 40% in 2025 and discusses the formalization of gig work under new Labour Codes effective as of last November. Key focus areas include the provision of social security, equal pay, and structural support to enhance women's participation in the workforce.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Labour Reforms and Legal Recognition**
* **Formal Identity:** The Code on Social Security (CoSS) 2020 formally recognizes gig and platform workers for the first time, providing them with a legal identity.
* **Social Security:** New reforms have expanded India’s social security coverage from 19% in 2015 to over 64.3% in 2025.
* **Wage Equality:** The principle of "equal pay for equal work" is now enshrined in the Labour Codes to eliminate gender-based wage discrimination.
**Female Employment Indicators (2017–18 to 2025)**
* **Participation Increase:** The Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) rose from 23.3% to 40%.
* **Worker Population:** The Female Worker Population Ratio (FWPR) increased from 22% to nearly 39%.
* **Unemployment Decline:** The Female Unemployment Rate (FUR) dropped from 5.6% to 3.1%, indicating improved job placement for women seeking work.
**Support for Working Women**
* **Structural Barriers:** The Labour Codes mandate work-from-home provisions, maternity leave entitlements, and the establishment of crèche facilities at places of employment.
* **Flexibility:** Platform-based work is recognized for offering flexibility that aligns with a worker’s personal circumstances, furthering economic empowerment.
**Impact Analysis**
**Women Delivery Partners and Gig Workers**
**Impact**
They receive formal legal recognition and access to social security benefits for the first time. They are also protected by "equal pay for equal work" mandates and benefit from flexible working arrangements.
**Action Required**
Utilize the formal legal identity to access social security schemes and leverage the flexibility of platform work for economic independence.
**Employers and Platform Companies (e.g., Swiggy)**
**Impact**
Employers are now governed by the four Labour Codes which require them to provide specific facilities such as crèches and ensure compliance with maternity entitlements and equal pay.
**Action Required**
Implement necessary workplace infrastructure, such as crèches, and ensure payroll practices align with the non-discriminatory wage standards set by the Labour Codes.
**Government and Policy Makers**
**Impact**
The data reflects the success of sustained policy actions in digital inclusion, labour law reform, and targeted welfare delivery.
**Action Required**
Continue monitoring the implementation of the four Labour Codes to ensure the continued upward trend of female workforce participation and social security expansion.
Key Entities Referenced
Labour Codes: A set of four legislative reforms that enshrine principles like equal pay for equal work and provide for maternity leave and crèche facilities.
Code on Social Security (CoSS) 2020: A specific labour code that formally recognizes gig and platform workers, granting them legal identity and access to social security benefits.
Ministry of Labour & Employment: The primary government ministry responsible for labour law reforms and the welfare of workers, including those in the gig economy.
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya: Union Minister of Labour & Employment who highlighted the growth in female labour participation and the impact of new labour reforms.
SwigStree: An initiative organized by Swiggy to celebrate and support its women delivery partners in the gig economy.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
“Empowering women is central to building a
Viksit Bharat”: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya
Dr. Mandaviya highlights near doubling of Female Labour
Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) from 23.3% in 2017–18 to
40% in 2025
Labour Codes formally recognise gig and platform workers
for the first time, giving them a legal identity and access to
social security
Equal pay for equal work now enshrined under the Labour
Codes, stresses Union Minister
Women delivery partners are not only supporting their
families but also driving societal progress, inspiring future
generations, and strengthening Bharat’s economic and social
fabric, says Dr. Mandaviya
Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya Champions Women’s
Empowerment, Financial Inclusion and Gig Worker Welfare at
Swiggy’s ‘SwigStree’ Event
Posted On: 28 APR 2026 1:28PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, today
graced ‘SwigStree: Celebrating Women on the Move’, a landmark initiative organised by Swiggy to
recognise the resilience and courage of its women delivery partners. The event brought together women
delivery partners from Swiggy Food Marketplace and Instamart who have overcome significant socio-
economic hardships to earn a dignified livelihood and support their families.Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mandaviya underlined that the equitable participation of women in the
workforce is both a social imperative and an economic necessity. “Empowering women is central to
building a Viksit Bharat,” he affirmed.
Addressed @Swiggy's 'SwigStree' event in New Delhi today and felicitated our
inspiring women delivery partners.
Under PM Shri @narendramodi Ji's visionary leadership, the new labor codes
have given gig & platform workers a formal identity for the first time ever. This
historic… pic.twitter.com/LJfmAhwOP0
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) April 28, 2026
Dr, Mandaviya said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has witnessed
new, enabling opportunities opening up for women, leading to a transformative improvement in female
employment indicators. The Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) has risen from 23.3% in
2017–18 to 40% in 2025. The Female Worker Population Ratio (FWPR) has correspondingly increased
from 22 % to nearly 39% over the same period. Further, the Female Unemployment Rate (FUR) has
declined from 5.6% to 3.1%, indicating that women who seek employment are now more successfully
finding it.”He also stressed upon the nearly three-fold expansion in India’s social security coverage in the past
decade, from 19% in 2015 to over 64.3% in 2025, reflecting the outcome of sustained policy action across
domains like labour law reform, digital inclusion, and targeted welfare delivery.
Dr. Mandaviya drew attention to the four Labour Codes that were made effective last November, and
emphasised upon the transformative reforms they introduce. He highlighted that the Code on Social
Security, (CoSS) 2020, for the first time, formally recognises gig and platform workers. These workers,
many of whom are women, now have a legal identity and access to social security, he said. “The principle
of equal pay for equal work has been enshrined in the Codes, a landmark step towards eliminating wage
discrimination on the basis of gender,” he added.The Labour Codes also provide for work-from-home provisions, maternity leave entitlements, and the
establishment of crèche facilities at places of employment, measures that directly address the structural
barriers that have historically prevented women from sustaining their participation in the workforce, Dr.
Mandaviya further elaborated.
Dr. Mandaviya spoke of the unique potential of gig and platform work in furthering women’s economic
empowerment. Platform-based employment, he observed, offers flexibility aligned with a worker’s time,
inclination and personal circumstances Praising women delivery partners, he remarked, “Women delivery
partners are not only supporting their families but also driving societal progress, inspiring future
generations, and strengthening the nation’s economic and social fabric.”
At the event, the Union Minister felicitated women delivery partners across Swiggy Food Marketplace and
Instamart, who demonstrated extraordinary courage and perseverance to provide for their families.
Sriharsha Majety, Co-founder and Group CEO, Swiggy, and other dignitaries were also present at the
event.***
Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander
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