BJP MP Anurag Thakur addressed a one-day EPF and ESI awareness and grievance-redressal camp for contract workers at NIET Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, on 8 July 2026, highlighting the Modi government's labour welfare initiatives over the past twelve years.

Context

Thakur, speaking at the camp, stated that the welfare, social security, and financial protection of contract workers — संविदा श्रमिक — is a stated priority of the Modi government. He noted that over twelve years, the government has enacted several laws to safeguard the rights and benefits of contract workers, many of whom previously had neither present-day security nor future protection under the older statutory regime.

Addressing attendees, he described the Four Labour Codes as 'your constitution' — आपका संविधान — saying they protect workers' interests in the same way the Constitution of India protects citizens' fundamental rights.

Policy Backdrop

India's labour law landscape was historically fragmented across 29 central labour statutes, many of which were enacted in the decades immediately after independence and were seen as poorly suited to the modern workforce, particularly informal and contract workers. The Modi government consolidated these into four codes: the Code on Wages 2019, the Industrial Relations Code 2020, the Code on Social Security 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code 2020.

The Code on Wages was the first to be passed by Parliament in 2019, followed by the remaining three during the 2020 monsoon session. The consolidation is considered the most sweeping overhaul of India's labour framework since independence, shifting the emphasis from inspector-driven enforcement to self-certification while mandating social security registration for a wider category of workers, including those in contract and gig arrangements.

EPF and ESI: What the Camp Covered

The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) is a statutory scheme that provides retirement savings and financial security to workers in the organised and contract sectors. The Employees' State Insurance (ESI) is a contributory health insurance programme covering medical care and cash benefits in the event of sickness, maternity, or workplace injury.

Awareness camps of this kind are designed to bridge the information gap between statutory entitlements and actual enrolment, particularly in semi-urban and rural constituencies where contract workers may be unaware of their eligibility. Hamirpur, the constituency Thakur has represented in the Lok Sabha, served as the venue, underlining the local outreach dimension of the initiative.

Stakeholders and Impact

Contract workers — spread across construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and the informal services sector — represent one of India's largest and most economically vulnerable labour categories. Historically excluded from or under-served by social security frameworks, they stand to benefit most directly from the expanded coverage envisaged under the Code on Social Security 2020.

Implementation, however, has been uneven. The four codes require individual states to frame their own rules before provisions can be notified and enforced. Several states are at varying stages of this process, meaning that the full protective architecture of the codes has yet to reach workers on the ground uniformly across India.

What's Next

The pace of state-level rule-making will determine when and how comprehensively the four codes translate into on-the-ground protections for contract workers. Camps such as the one held at NIET Hamirpur represent an interim measure — using existing EPF and ESI machinery to extend awareness and resolve grievances while the broader legislative architecture awaits full notification. Further Ministry of Labour and Employment notifications expanding EPF and ESI eligibility to new worker categories, including platform and gig workers, remain a key policy watch-point in the months ahead.