The Government of India has unveiled the draft National Labour and Employment Policy, affectionately dubbed Shram Shakti Niti, 2025. This initiative is all about establishing a universal and portable social security system that caters to every worker. The draft policy presents a renewed vision for a fair, inclusive, and future-ready world of work aligned with the national aspiration of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
At the heart of the policy is the idea of a single universal account that merges the Employees Provident Fund Organisation, Employees State Insurance Corporation, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, e-SHRAM, and State welfare Boards. This integration is designed to make social security benefits easily accessible and portable across different sectors and states.
Strategic Objectives of Policy:
Universal and Portable Social Security: This aims to set up a Universal Social Security Account (USSA) by merging key schemes like the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), and e-SHRAM, among others.
Labour Force Inclusion and Digital Compliance: A major goal is to increase female labour-force participation to 35% by 2030.
Skills Development and Employment Facilitation: This policy encourages the merging of various skill development initiatives. It plans to establish Employment Facilitation Cells at the district level to assist job seekers and foster youth entrepreneurship. With career guidance and skill-credit systems in place, workers will be better equipped to adapt to the evolving job market.
Leveraging technology and Green Transition (Promoting green jobs): Creation of millions of green and decent jobs is a priority. The policy supports just-transition pathways for workers affected by shifts to sustainable industries. It encourages environmentally friendly employment aligned with India’s climate goals.
Phased Implementation and Monitoring; The implementation will unfold in three phases. Phase I (2025–27) will focus on setting up institutions and integrating social security. Phase II (2027–30) will see the nationwide launch of universal accounts and skill systems. Finally, Phase III (post-2030) aims for a paperless governance model and predictive policy analytics. Progress will be monitored through real-time dashboards and an annual Labour & Employment Policy Evaluation.
Data Architecture; Achieve coherence across institutions, data systems, and jurisdictions through a unified digital labor-governance framework.
