Union Minister of Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, will chair the 3rd regional meeting of western States and Union Territories (UTs) in Rajkot, Gujarat, today. The meeting will be attended by representatives from Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Lakshadweep.

This meeting, organized by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, aims to strengthen collaboration between the Government of India and the States/UTs on important labour reforms. Discussions will focus on initiatives like the e-Shram National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW), welfare schemes for Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW), and ways to improve employment opportunities.

This gathering is part of a series of consultations happening across India. The first meeting was held with southern States/UTs in Bengaluru, and the second with northern States/UTs in Chandigarh.

Key issues on the agenda include creating uniform rules under the new Labour Codes, expanding social protection benefits for unorganized workers through the e-Shram portal, and increasing the coverage of central welfare schemes for construction workers. There will also be discussions on improving services under the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and National Career Service (NCS), as well as faster implementation of the Employment-Linked Incentive (ELI) schemes.