Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya Chairs National Conference on Labour & Employment in New Delhi, Delhi

Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoL&E), chaired the two-day ‘National Conference on Labour & Employment and Industry Ministers and Secretaries of States and Union Territories (UTs)’, organized by MoL&E, held from November 11 to 12, 2025, in New Delhi, Delhi.

• During the event, he launched digital tools such as Digital Labour Chowk applications(app) and online Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) cess collection portal to improve transparency and welfare delivery for the BOCW sector.

About National Conference of Labour & Employment:

Aim: The conference, organized by the MoL&E, aimed to build a coordinated national framework for labour reforms that benefit both workers and industries, fostering inclusive and sustainable growth across India.

Dignitaries: Union Minister of State (MoS) Shobha Karandlaje, MoL&E; and Vandana Gurnami, Secretary, MoL&E were present at the event.

Focus: The conference focused on encouraging the states to align their employment schemes with the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) scheme.

State Initiatives: During the conference, States and UTs showcased their best practices and labour reforms and promoted the National Career Service (NCS) portal to enhance employability.

Key Launches:

Digital Labour Chowk App: It serves as an online marketplace connecting construction workers with contractors and employers, aimed at making the hiring process transparent, efficient, and beneficial for workers and the industry.

• It enables construction workers to self-register and create verified profiles, helps employers find workers by location and skill, and links registered workers to welfare schemes offering insurance, health, and pension benefits under BOCW boards.

BOCW Cess Collection Portal: It is a digital platform designed to streamline the collection, monitoring, and management of the cess levied on construction projects under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.

• Cess is a 1–2% tax on construction costs collected from employers to fund welfare schemes for construction workers, including health, pension, housing, education, and skill development.
• It enables digital BOCW cess payment, online return submission, real-time monitoring of collections and fund use, integration with e-Shram data, and automated compliance reports for employers and authorities.

Labour Chowk Facilitation Centres (LCFCs): During the event, Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya  showcased the model of LCFCs.

• Designed to replace unsafe informal gathering points, these centres provide shelter, water, sanitation, and access to welfare services like worker registration and health camps.

About Pradhan Mantri Vikas Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY):

Launch :The scheme, approved by the Government of India(GoI) on 1 July 2025 and launched by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi on 15 August 2025, covers jobs created between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2027.

Implementation: It is implemented by the MoL&E through the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Outlay: Rs.99,446 crore for the two-year period.

Target: Generate more than 3.5 crore jobs across sectors.

About Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoL&E):
Union Minister – Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya (Constituency – Porbandar, Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS) – Shobha Karandlaje (Constituency – Bangalore North, Karnataka)