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Bharatiya Janata Party · 2014
Claim
Partly accurate
Delivery
Partly delivered
The codes exist, and they took eleven years to come into force. The Ministry of Labour and Employment told Parliament on 20 July 2026 that the four codes — Wages 2019, Industrial Relations 2020, Social Security 2020 and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions 2020 — were 'implemented… with effect from 21st November, 2025', with central rules notified on 8 May 2026. The Wages Code was passed six years before it took effect. Because labour is a concurrent subject, states must frame their own rules, and the ministry says only that 'most of the States/UTs have… finalised or published/pre-published' theirs. One substantive gain is recorded: gig and platform workers 'have been defined for the first time' in law.
“bring together all stakeholders to review our Labour laws which are outdated, complicated and even contradictory… strengthen the Pension and Health Insurance safety nets for all kinds of labourers.”No CAG performance audit published
No CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published. The absence of an audit is not evidence that the claim is either accurate or inaccurate.
No CAG audit of labour law reform has been tabled. The status here is the Ministry of Labour and Employment's own account to Parliament.
No audit period to plot — no CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published.
Four labour codes in force from 21 November 2025; central rules notified 8 May 2026
The ministry does not give a state-wise count of rules finalised, so how many states are actually operating under the codes is not established. Gig and platform workers are defined in law for the first time, with schemes for their social security still to be formulated.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 194, Status of Four Labour Codes — answer by the Ministry of Labour and Employment
A note on the claim. This entry was imported as a promise to "consolidate 44 central labour laws into 4 codes". The 2014 manifesto names no number of laws or codes. What it says is: "bring together all stakeholders to review our Labour laws which are outdated, complicated and even contradictory", alongside a commitment to "strengthen the Pension and Health Insurance safety nets for all kinds of labourers." The consolidation into four codes is how the government chose to act on it, and it is the fairest thing to measure.
The codes were legislated in two batches — the Code on Wages in 2019, and the Industrial Relations, Social Security and Occupational Safety codes in September 2020 — and then sat unenforced for years while states framed rules. The Ministry of Labour and Employment recorded the end of that wait to the Lok Sabha on 20 July 2026: the four codes were "implemented… with effect from 21st November, 2025. The Central Rules under the said Labour Codes have been notified on 8th May, 2026."
Eleven years from the promise to enforcement; six years for the Wages Code between passage and effect. On the manifesto's own wording — review outdated and contradictory labour laws with all stakeholders — the review happened and the law changed, which is why the accuracy is partly rather than wholly unsupported.
What the answer does not resolve is whether the codes are operating. "Since 'Labour' falls under the concurrent subject, the States/UTs are also required to frame Rules under the Labour Codes", and the ministry reports only that "most of the States/UTs have already taken measures & have finalised or published/pre- published the Rules… and a few States/UTs are in the process". No state-wise count appears. A code in force centrally without state rules is not yet a working legal regime for most employers and workers.
On consultation, the ministry's account is that the codes "were passed after extensive consultations with all stakeholders including States/UTs" and that concerns "were acknowledged and examined". Central trade unions have consistently disputed that characterisation, and the Industrial Relations Code's changes to strike notice requirements and to the threshold for retrenchment approval are the reason. This fact-check records both positions and takes neither: what is verifiable is that the codes passed and are now in force.
One clear gain belongs in the record. "The gig workers and the platform workers have been defined for the first time in the Labour Code for the purpose of formulating schemes to provide social security benefits relating to life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old age protection." Defining a category is the precondition for covering it; the schemes themselves are still to be formulated, and the manifesto's promise to strengthen pension and health safety nets "for all kinds of labourers" is not met until they are.
Our verdict is partly accurate.
BJP Election Manifesto 2014 — Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
“Our Pledge — Ek Bharat - Shreshtha Bharat: Vibrant and Participatory Democracy; Empowered and Inspired People; Inclusive and Sustainable Development; Quality life in Villages and Cities; Basic Amenities to All; Flourishing Agriculture; Productive Youth; Involved Women; Robust physical and social Infrastructure; Innovative and Technologically driven Society; Globally competitive Economy; Brand India built on Quality; Strong, Effective and Futuristic Institutions; Open, Transparent and Systems-based Government; Pro-active, Pro-people Good Governance.”
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 194, Status of Four Labour Codes — answer by the Ministry of Labour and Employment
“The Government of India has implemented four Labour Codes, namely, 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&WC) Code, 2020 with effect from 21st November, 2025. The Central Rules under the said Labour Codes have been notified on 8th May, 2026. Since 'Labour' falls under the concurrent subject, the States/UTs are also required to frame Rules under the Labour Codes… most of the States/UTs have already taken measures & have finalised or published/pre-published the Rules under the Labour Codes and a few States/UTs are in the process of pre-publishing/finalising the Rules… The gig workers and the platform workers have been defined for the first time in the Labour Code for the purpose of formulating schemes to provide social security benefits relating to life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old age protection etc. The four Labour Codes reduce multiplicity of definitions & authorities, facilitate use of technology, bring transparency & accountability in enforcement.”