Parliament Question: Protection of workforce

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 105 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.01.2026 PROTECTION OF WORKFORCE 105. DR. M. DHANAPAL: Will the Minister of Labour and Employment be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has evaluated the preparedness of India's labour regulatory framework in addressing job displacement risks arising from advanced automation and artificial intelligence adoption within corporate and service sectors; (b) if so, the details of institutional mechanisms and expert consultations initiated by Government for workforce protection; and (c)the steps proposed by Government to align labour laws, social security coverage and employment safety nets with emerging technological realities? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) & (b): Employment generation coupled with improving employability is a priority of the Government. Accordingly, Government is implementing various employment generation schemes/programmes in the country. The details of various employment generation schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes. Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Contd..2/-:: 2 :: Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills. The Ministry of Labour and Employment, is running the National Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a one-stop solution for providing career related services including jobs from private and government sectors, information on online & offline job fairs, job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, skill/training programmes etc. through a digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in]. Further, the NCS portal has integrated with leading skilling platforms and initiatives to enhance employability. In addition, the Government is implementing Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme named as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to support employment generation, enhance employability and social security across all sectors, with special focus on the manufacturing sector. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 Crore aims to incentivize the creation of more than 3.5 Crore jobs in the country, over a period of 2 years. Artificial Intelligence (AI) may result in job creation in various streams like data science, data curation, etc. Further, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated ‘FutureSkills PRIME’ a programme for Re-skilling/Up-skilling of IT Manpower for Employability in new/emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence. (c): The four Labour Codes, namely, the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 strengthen the protection available to workers, including unorganized workers. The new Labour Codes are aligned to provide social security coverage and employment safety nets with emerging technological and economic realities which includes: i. Universalisation of social security by extending coverage to organized and unorganised workers including gig and platform under the Code on Social Security, 2020, thereby strengthening protection against employment-related vulnerabilities. ii. Labour protection measures, including re-skilling funds and dispute resolution under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, to facilitate workforce adjustment during structural and technological changes. iii. Adoption of digital systems, including electronic registration, license, filing of returns and technology-enabled inspections to ensure compliance. *****