December 04th Current Affairs

• • The Central Government is preparing to fully operationalise all four Labour Codes —
    1. Code on Wages, 2019
    2. Code on Social Security, 2020
    3. Industrial Relations Code, 2020
    4. Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020
       — by April 1, 2026.
  • Before the rollout, the government will pre-publish draft rules for final stakeholder consultation, ensuring transparency and facilitating state-level rule alignment.
  • Implementation has been delayed as several states had not finalised their rules; labour being a Concurrent List subject requires coordinated rule-making for uniform enforcement.
  • Full implementation is expected to rationalise 29 central labour laws into four comprehensive codes, simplifying compliance and improving regulatory clarity for industries.
  • The Social Security Code’s provisions on gig workers, platform workers, and unorganised workers are expected to significantly strengthen social protection frameworks.
  • The likely 2026 rollout positions labour reform as a major milestone in India’s larger economic reform agenda, aimed at boosting investment climate, formalisation, and worker welfare.

Businesses are preparing for changes in wage definitions, hiring flexibility, working conditions, and compliance systems once the codes come into force.

• • The Union Government has been unable to clearly explain the prolonged delay in filling vacancies in the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), despite multiple queries raised in Parliament and by civil society.
  • Currently, key positions — including members and in some periods even the chairperson — have remained vacant, weakening the Commission’s ability to address grievances and monitor the welfare of notified minority communities.
  • The NCM, a statutory body under the NCM Act, 1992, is mandated to evaluate safeguards for minorities, investigate complaints, and advise the government. Prolonged vacancies therefore undermine its effectiveness.
  • Opposition MPs have criticised the Centre’s non-committal responses regarding timelines, citing concerns over institutional neglect and reduced oversight on issues affecting religious and linguistic minorities.
  • The delay has also raised questions about procedural transparency, selection processes, and whether the government plans structural reforms for the Commission.
  • Administrative gaps in the NCM coincide with rising debates on minority rights, inclusion, and the government’s approach to diversity management—making the matter more politically and socially significant.
  • The government has maintained that the appointment process is “under consideration” without providing definitive timelines.

To make NCM more effective and relevant, following reforms are often recommended:

• • Constitutional Status — upgrading from statutory to constitutional commission (like those for SC/ST), to ensure autonomy, stability, and authority.
  • Clear Criteria for Minority Status — more transparent, objective criteria (religious, linguistic, social) rather than ad hoc notifications.
  • Binding Powers or Stronger Follow-up Mechanism — ensure that recommendations/orders have enforceability or mandatory government response.
  • Full-time Functional Commission — timely appointments to ensure minimum vacancies, regular hearings, redressal and outreach.
  • Adequate Resources & Capacity Building — staff, research units, regional presence to monitor minority issues across India.
  • Better Coordination with Related Bodies — synergy with NCMEI, human rights institutions, state minority commissions to avoid overlap and improve coverage.
    

These reforms can help align NCM with India’s constitutional vision of equality, justice, and pluralism.

The National Commission for Minorities, established through the 1992 Act, plays a vital role in safeguarding minority rights, ensuring constitutional safeguards, and promoting social justice through advisory, investigatory and recommendatory functions. However, structural limitations — statutory status, limited enforcement power, institutional vacancies, and weak follow-up — significantly undermine its effectiveness. For NCM to fulfil its constitutional promise of protecting minority interests in a diverse India, a structural overhaul — including granting constitutional status, enhancing autonomy and capacity — is essential.