Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday, 28 September 2026, said India is extending health security through the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to 25 crore people, underlining the breadth of the government's social protection architecture. He was speaking at the CII-EFI National Conference on Industrial Relations and Labour & Awards 2026 in New Delhi.

Scale of Social Security Programmes

Mandaviya enumerated several flagship welfare schemes running in parallel. The government is supplying free food grains to 80 crore people, while 10 crore farmers receive ₹2,000 every four months via direct benefit transfers into their bank accounts — a reference to the PM-KISAN scheme.

The minister also highlighted women-centric cash transfer initiatives at the state level. 'Today, there are 10 states in the country that deposit amounts such as ₹2,000, ₹1,500 or ₹1,200 every month into the accounts of women,' he said, pointing to the growing convergence between Centre-run programmes and state-level social spending.

India's Approach to Industrial Relations

Mandaviya spoke at length on the tension between global labour norms and India's own industrial traditions. 'When we talk about industrial relations... on one hand ILO's international practices, international frameworks, and on the other hand India's own traditions and its relationships, it feels a bit different to me,' he said. Drawing on his decade-plus ministerial experience, the minister argued that any framework for industrial relations must account for India's distinct social and economic context rather than simply transplanting international models.

Labour Codes and Cess Fund Utilisation

This comes after Mandaviya, earlier in September 2026, urged state governments to conduct a detailed assessment of cess fund utilisation, identify gaps, and explore new avenues for deploying these resources for long-term worker welfare. He had called on states to undertake a comprehensive review of the Labour Codes after one year of implementation, flagging areas where execution could be strengthened.

Notably, the minister also stressed the need for workshops and orientation programmes for labour law practitioners, so that the Codes are implemented 'in letter and spirit' — signalling that awareness and capacity-building remain work in progress.

Why This Matters

The ESIC coverage figure of 25 crore is significant in the context of India's largely informal labour market, where social security penetration has historically been low. Expanding formal-sector health cover while simultaneously running large-scale food, cash-transfer, and women-centric schemes reflects a multi-pronged approach to social protection — but critics have noted that the quality of ESIC healthcare delivery and hospital infrastructure needs to keep pace with rising enrolment numbers. Whether expanded coverage translates into better health outcomes will be the real test of the programme's effectiveness.

With the Labour Codes implementation review now on the agenda, the coming months are likely to see closer scrutiny of how states are aligning their labour administration machinery with the new framework.