Labour Ministry releases draft ‘National Labour & Employment Policy’ for public consultation
The policy aims to be an inclusive framework for workers' welfare, positioning the Ministry of Labour & Employment as an ‘Employment Facilitator’ for 'Viksit Bharat @2047'
The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment on Wednesday (October 8) released the draft “National Labour & Employment Policy - Shram Shakti Niti 2025” for public consultation.
The government claims that the draft policy presents a “renewed vision for a fair, inclusive, and future-ready world of work aligned with the national aspiration of Viksit Bharat @2047”.
‘Balanced framework’
The draft policy says it seeks to create a balanced framework that upholds workers’ welfare while enabling enterprises to grow and generate sustainable livelihoods.
The ministry says the policy is “rooted in India’s civilisational ethos of śrama dharma - the dignity and moral value of work”. It envisions a labour ecosystem that ensures protection, productivity, and participation for every worker.
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‘Employment Facilitator’
“Shram Shakti Niti 2025” positions the Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE) as a proactive “Employment Facilitator”, driving convergence among workers, employers, and training institutions through trusted, technology-led systems.
The draft policy says the National Career Service (NCS) platform will serve as India’s Digital Public Infrastructure for Employment, enabling transparent and inclusive job matching, credential verification, and skill alignment.
Through open APIs, multilingual access, and AI-driven innovation, the NCS-DPI will connect opportunity with talent across Tier-II and Tier-III cities, rural districts, and MSME clusters, making employment facilitation a nationwide public good, says the draft policy.
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‘Universal social security’
The policy also places strong emphasis on universal social security, occupational safety and health, women and youth empowerment, and the creation of green and technology-enabled jobs.
Through this policy, the ministry aims to build a “resilient and continuously-skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of emerging technologies, climate transitions, and global value chains”.
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‘Interoperable digital ecosystem’
The policy envisions an inclusive and interoperable digital ecosystem that supports lifelong learning, social protection, and income security by integrating key national databases such as EPFO, ESIC, e-Shram, and NCS into a unified Labour Stack.
The ministry claims that the draft policy reflects “extensive stakeholder consultations, and emphasises cooperative federalism, evidence-based policymaking, and digital transparency.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment is confident that this policy provides a “long-term framework for coordinated action among the Centre, States, industry, and social partners to ensure that the benefits of growth are shared widely and equitably”.