Mansukh Mandaviya at CII event: Evolve labour ecosystem for AI age

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the National Conference on Industrial Relations, calling for the evolution of India's labour ecosystem for the AI age and stressing the need to skill youth in new-age technologies like AI and robotics.

Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, on Monday inaugurated the National Conference on Industrial Relations and Labour & Awards 2026, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Employers’ Federation of India (EFI) around the theme “Reengineering Industrial Relations & Workplace Participation in the AI Age”, in New Delhi.

Mandaviya on Evolving Labour Ecosystem and AI Skills

Addressing the gathering, Mandaviya emphasised the need to evolve India’s labour and social security ecosystem in tandem with changing times and emerging economic realities. He spoke of the vast opportunities that Artificial Intelligence (AI) opens up in today’s world, and stressed on the need to equip India’s youth with new-age skills in AI, automation, robotics and other cutting-edge technologies. He drew attention to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2026, wherein the Prime Minister had announced that one crore youth would be trained in AI skills over the next one year.

Union Minister Mandaviya underlined the expansion of India’s social security coverage over the past decade, rising from 19% of the population in 2015 to cover 101 crore people, or 68% of the population as on date, as recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Calling for a change in the conventional mindset of pro-industry policies being perceived as anti-labour, and vice-versa, he urged both industry and workers to progress together as partners in nation-building.

'Shram Samvad' Campaign Launched

Mansukh Mandaviya announced that the Ministry of Labour & Employment is launching a mega awareness campaign on the Labour Codes titled “Shram Samvad” with effect from today, under which industrial clusters across 316 districts in all 36 States and Union Territories will be covered over the next 90 days.

Dialogue, Economic Growth, and Viksit Bharat 2047

Mansukh Mandaviya also emphasised the importance of continuous dialogue and consultations among all stakeholders for strengthening industrial relations. “Wherever there is Samvaad, there is Samadhan”, he said. He stressed that best practices should be shared and adopted to foster harmonious industrial relations and ensure that the interests of both industry and workers move forward together.

Highlighting India’s high GDP growth of 7.8%, Mandaviya elaborated on the Government’s comprehensive economic policies that have enabled the country to sustain a robust growth trajectory. He noted that India’s strong economic growth in recent years has been accompanied by rising employment opportunities, with every 1% growth in the economy translating into 1.11% employment growth during 2017–23, compared to just 0.008% earlier.

Union Minister emphasised the need for all stakeholders to work collectively towards realising the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, with sustainable economic growth, expanded employment opportunities and a dignified workforce at its core.

New Report on Labour Codes Launched

A report titled “Employer’s Guide Under New Labour Codes Framework: Fixed-Term Employment in India” was also launched by the Union Minister, Mamdaviya, during the inaugural session.

The conference was attended by Puneet Kaura, Chairman, CII Northern Region; S Harshavardhan Chitale, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Industrial Relations & Labour; Oktavianto Pasaribu, Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for Regional Partnership Development and Resource Mobilisation, International Labour Organisation (ILO), among other senior representatives from industry and officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The conference will provide a platform for industry and labour stakeholders to exchange perspectives on the future of work and industrial relations. Deliberations on these issues are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges arising from technological transformation and a changing employment ecosystem. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)