New Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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)