New Delhi:Union Minister of Labour & Employment (MoLE) Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday inaugurated the first-ever two-day Regional Dialogue on Social Justice under the Global Coalition for Social Justice in New Delhi. Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Gilbert F. Houngbo was also present at the event.
During his speech, Mandaviya emphasised India's role as a proud member of the Asia Pacific Coordinating Group, leading the first Regional Dialogue. He expressed joy in championing the key coalition intervention, stating, "India is privileged to spearhead the initiative on Responsible Business Practices for Sustainable and Inclusive Societies."
Houngbo congratulated the Centre for the efforts in doubling India’s social protection from 24.4% to 48.8% as reported in the World Social Protection Report (WSPR) 2024. Recognising India’s important role in ILO’s leadership, DG ILO remarked that India’s efforts in business growth along with social protection serve as a good example to inspire change and improve social protection systems across the world. He mentioned that this remarkable achievement is an outcome of the decisive actions taken by the Centre in expanding social protection in the past few years.
During the event, Mandaviya also launched the e-Shram mobile app, a key step in strengthening social benefits delivery by offering real-time access to government welfare schemes, intelligent benefit filtering, curated job listings aligned with users’ skills and location, and multilingual support.
Secretary MoLE, Sumita Dawra, praised the ILO’s Global Coalition for Social Justice for strengthening global cooperation. Highlighting India as the fastest-growing major economy with a vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, she emphasised the country’s foundation on social justice principles, strong demographic dividend with 65% of the population under the age of 35, and a commitment to employment generation, equity, and welfare. She reiterated India’s goal of achieving 70% females engaged in economic activity by 2047 and applauded industry leaders for adopting responsible business practices, including youth skill development, education, and women's workforce participation.
An exhibition on the sidelines of the event showcased the innovative use of technology in labour welfare, social security, medical care, personnel management, industrial safety, and more. Participants demonstrated how technology is driving positive change in the ecosystem, enhancing services and outreach for workers.
A series of insightful technical sessions brought together global experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to advance discussions on youth empowerment, social justice, and inclusion. These sessions explored strategies to bridge the education-to-employment gap, expand social protection for informal workers, and promote gender equality in the workforce. Key stakeholders from India, the Philippines, Namibia, Germany, Australia, Brazil, and international organisations such as the ILO and UN Women shared best practices, including digital skilling platforms, social security frameworks, and gender-responsive workplace policies. Emphasising collaboration and innovation, the discussions reinforced the importance of public-private partnerships in fostering inclusive economic growth and ensuring equitable opportunities for all.
Bilateral meeting with ILO
Mandaviya also had a bilateral meeting with Houngbo. During the discussion, the minister underscored India's proactive role as a member of the Coordinating Group of the Global Coalition for Social Justice from the Asia-Pacific region. He expressed India’s interest to champion the coalition’s key intervention, responsible business practices for sustainable and inclusive societies. He also emphasised the country's dedication to quality employment, skills development and social protection as pillars of social justice aligning with the Centre's vision of Viksit Bharatby 2047.
On social protection, Mandaviya shared that the e-Shram portal, India’s National Database for Unorganized Workers has registered over 306 million users, providing them access to social security schemes. Houngbo appreciated India’s efforts in leveraging digital platforms such as the e-Shram and NCS portals to enhance employment opportunities and social security coverage, acknowledging them as significant steps towards inclusive economic growth. He also acknowledged India’s key and positive role in shaping global social security and labour welfare agenda. In this context, both leaders agreed to strengthen India’s role in the ILO as a powerful voice for developing economies and a key advocate for global labour welfare. Both leaders also agreed on the need for a robust and collaborative data pooling exercise to enhance accuracy in social protection coverage assessments in the country.
