India’s New Labour Codes Explained: Big Reform Replaces 29 Laws With 4 Modern Codes

India has notified all four new Labour Codes, replacing 29 outdated and overlapping laws with a modern, simplified workforce framework. The new codes transform wages, social security, safety norms and industrial relations, expanding protections to gig workers, ensuring universal minimum wages, mandatory appointment letters, timely payments and pan-India ESIC coverage. The reforms sharply reduce compliance burdens for businesses, moving from 84 registers and 181 forms to a single licence and electronic return. While supporters call this India’s biggest labour overhaul since Independence, trade unions and the opposition warn of dilution of worker rights. This video breaks down what has changed, how the old system worked, and what the new codes mean for workers and employers.