Kuala Lumpur, Oct 3 (NationPress) Union Minister of Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, engaged in fruitful bilateral discussions with the President of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and representatives from Malaysia and Uganda during the World Social Security Summit (WSSF) on Friday.

The minister addressed critical topics such as mutual recognition of skills, safe labour mobility, and collaboration on social protection.

Dr. Mandaviya is in Malaysia to accept the ISSA Award 2025 for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Social Security’ on behalf of the Government of India.

During his visit, he conversed with Professor Mohammed Azman, President of ISSA and CEO of PERKESO, the Malaysian social security organization.

He expressed appreciation for ISSA’s acknowledgment of India’s progress in expanding social security and welcomed India's enhanced representation and voting rights within the organization.

The Minister also highlighted India’s digital-first approach to social protection delivery, particularly through the e-Shram and National Career Service (NCS) platforms.

ISSA’s President congratulated India on its significant strides in social protection and praised the rapid growth in social security coverage under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Mandaviya also met with Betty Amongi Ongom, Uganda's Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Both parties reaffirmed their long-standing historical ties and welcomed the revival of the India-Uganda Joint Trade Cooperation Session earlier this year in New Delhi after 23 years.

The leaders acknowledged the potential for collaboration in Public Works, Agriculture, Traditional Medicine, and tele-medicine, aiming to bolster economic engagement and enhance skilled professional exchanges.

Mandaviya shared India’s accomplishments in expanding social protection coverage, which is among the fastest globally, and emphasized India’s digital public infrastructure. India expressed its readiness to assist Uganda in developing digital platforms to efficiently connect talent with opportunities.

Uganda expressed a strong interest in learning more about India’s digital public infrastructure, particularly e-Shram and NCS, with the aim of adopting these systems promptly.

The Indian minister also held discussions with Steven Sim Chee Keong, Malaysia's Minister of Human Resources. He reiterated New Delhi's commitment to support Malaysia’s labour market demands through India’s skilled workforce, capitalizing on its demographic advantage.

The Ministers underscored the significance of the India-Malaysia Enhanced Strategic Partnership, highlighting strong prospects in future sectors such as IT, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

India reaffirmed its commitment to advance the proposed Memorandum of Collaboration between ESIC and PERKESO, which has already been initiated in conjunction with the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Union Minister also asserted that the Global South should lead in establishing model definitions for gig and platform workers for the global community.

Malaysia extended an invitation to Dr. Mandaviya for the upcoming summit on platform workers, which the country is set to host in 2026.