The Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched the Shram Samvad Awareness Campaign to help employers, workers, advocates and government officials understand the new Labour Codes and their requirements. The initiative began on 28 September 2026 and will run for 90 days, covering industrial clusters across 316 districts in all 36 States and Union Territories.
The campaign is designed to explain what the new Labour Codes require from both employers and workers, and to introduce government social security schemes available to workers. A district awareness programme held at the Regional Labour Institute in Faridabad on the campaign’s opening day drew around 75 participants from the labour sector.
Key facts
- Campaign launched: 28 September 2026
- Duration: 90 days
- Reach: 316 districts across 36 States and Union Territories
- First programme held at: Regional Labour Institute, Faridabad
- Participants at Faridabad event: Around 75 employers, state officials, advocates and stakeholders
- Sessions covered: Labour Codes overview, employer compliance, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan scheme, Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana scheme
What the Labour Codes are
India recently introduced new Labour Codes that consolidate and update labour laws. These Codes set out the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers across various areas including wages, working conditions, social security and dispute resolution. The Shram Samvad campaign is intended to ensure that all stakeholders understand these new rules and can comply with them.
What employers must know
A key focus of the campaign is explaining the compliance obligations that employers now face under the Labour Codes. The Faridabad programme included a dedicated session on employer responsibilities, covering statutory requirements such as registration, record-keeping, wage payment rules, and safety standards. The Labour Welfare Commissioner detailed practical compliance steps that businesses of all sizes need to follow to operate within the legal framework.
Government social security schemes explained
The campaign also highlights two major government schemes that provide social security to workers, particularly those in the unorganised sector who typically lack employer-provided benefits.
Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM): This scheme extends pension and other social security benefits to eligible unorganised workers. The awareness programme outlined the scheme’s key features and eligibility criteria so that workers and their representatives understand how to access these benefits.
Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY): This scheme focuses on employment generation and was introduced to support job creation. The campaign session explained the scheme’s objectives, provisions and the benefits available to eligible workers and employers.
How the campaign is structured
The Faridabad event featured five sessions combining overview presentations with interactive question-and-answer discussions. The first session provided a broad introduction to the Labour Codes and their objectives. Subsequent sessions went deeper into specific areas: compliance requirements for employers, and details of the two social security schemes. The final interactive session allowed participants to seek clarifications and raise concerns about implementation challenges they might face.
This structure is being replicated across the 316 districts covered by the campaign, ensuring that stakeholders in different regions receive consistent information tailored to their local industrial context.
Who should participate
The campaign targets employers, state labour authorities, legal advocates, workers’ representatives, and other stakeholders in the labour and employment sector. Representatives from industry associations are also encouraged to participate so they can inform their members about the new rules.
What this means for you
If you are an employer or business owner, attending these awareness sessions will help you understand what compliance steps you must take to follow the new Labour Codes and avoid penalties. If you are a worker, particularly in the unorganised sector such as construction, agriculture or domestic work, learning about PM-SYM and PMVBRY schemes could help you access pension and social security benefits. If you are an advocate or labour consultant, the sessions will update your knowledge of the current legal framework so you can better advise clients.
What happens next
The campaign will continue for 90 days, with awareness programmes scheduled in industrial clusters across all districts in all States and Union Territories. Stakeholders in their respective districts can contact their regional labour offices to find out when and where the nearest awareness session will be held.