Srinagar- Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday reviewed the implementation of the four new Labour Codes in Jammu and Kashmir, calling the reforms a major step toward simplifying compliance and strengthening worker welfare across the Union Territory.
Chairing a high level meeting attended by the Secretaries of Labour and Employment, IT and Law, along with the Labour Commissioner and senior officers, the Chief Secretary said the consolidation of dozens of old labour laws into four streamlined codes marks a significant milestone for ease of doing business while reinforcing protections for workers.
He directed the Labour and Employment Department to strengthen institutional and legal frameworks for the smooth adoption of the new codes and to launch a sustained IEC campaign alongside comprehensive capacity building for employers, workers and implementing agencies.
Stressing the need for uniform and transparent implementation, Dulloo instructed full integration with the National Labour Portal and asked the department to expedite amendments, rules and notifications required under the new regime. “Compliance must become faster, easier and less cumbersome under these reforms,” he said.
During the meeting, Secretary Labour and Employment Kumar Rajeev Ranjan explained that 44 central labour laws have now been merged into four comprehensive codes: Code on Wages, Industrial Relations Code, Social Security Code and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.
He highlighted that the Wage Code ensures statutory minimum wages and equal remuneration, while the Industrial Relations Code introduces fixed term employment, raises the threshold for Standing Orders and mandates a notice period for strikes and lockouts. The Social Security Code extends benefits for the first time to gig and platform workers and creates a dedicated fund for unorganised workers. The OSH&WC Code simplifies safety regulations with single electronic registration and consolidated licensing.
Labour Commissioner Charandeep Singh informed the meeting that the rationalisation of laws has drastically reduced compliance burdens: sections have been cut from 1,228 to 480, rules from 1,436 to 351 and forms from 181 to 73. Registrations have been brought down from eight to one and returns from 31 to a single consolidated return. The number of provisions carrying imprisonment has also been reduced, with new mechanisms like improvement notices and compounding now prioritising corrective action over punishment.
Officials said the reforms are expected to significantly improve ease of doing business in J&K by introducing single license, single registration and one consolidated return in place of multiple earlier requirements.
