Lok Sabha Question No. 2489 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Policy to Safeguard the Rights of Contractual Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Putta Mahesh Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2489

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

POLICY TO SAFEGUARD THE RIGHTS OF CONTRACTUAL WORKERS

2489. SHRI PUTTA MAHESH KUMAR:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)the details of the number of cases currently pending and sub-judice in  the  courts  across  the  country  concerning  with  contractual workers, State and sector-wise;
- (b)the details regarding the nature of these cases including issues related  to  wages,  job  security,  social  security  benefits,  nonpayment of dues, unfair termination and regularization of services;
- (c)whether  the  Government  has  established  any  special  tribunals, fast-track  mechanisms  or  dispute  resolution  committees  for faster resolution of such cases, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d)whether the Government plans to introduce any policies/initiatives to safeguard the rights of contractual workers and ensure timely grievance redressal and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

- (a) & (b): The  requisite  information  is  enclosed  at  Annexure-I  &
- Annexure-II.
- (c): A well-established Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM), comprising of a country wide network of Deputy Chief Labour Commissioners  and  Regional  Labour  Commissioners  under  the control of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), is in place to enforce various labour laws in Central Sphere. This Machinery is mandated to take necessary action to redress/ settle the grievances/ complaints/ claims  arising  out  of  the  enforcement  of  various  labour  laws.  For effective implementation of various labour laws, regular inspections are conducted by the Officers of CIRM.

(d): The Central Government has enacted the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 to regulate the employment of contract  labour  in  certain  establishments  and  to  provide  for  its abolition in certain circumstances. The Government is implementing various  Acts  and  Schemes  to  provide  social  security  and  welfare benefits to workers including contract workers/labourers/employees, both in the organised and unorganised sector. The social security to the workers in the organized sector is provided mainly through five Central Acts, namely, the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948, the Employees' Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, the Employee's Compensation Act, 1923, the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961  and  the  Payment  of  Gratuity  Act,  1972  etc.  as  per  their eligibility.

In order to provide social security benefits to the workers in the unorganised sector, the Central Government is implementing Unorganised Workers ' Social Security Act, 2008, to provide welfare schemes in matters relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity  benefits  and  old  age  protection  to  the  unorganised workers. Various Ministries/Departments of the Central Government are also implementing such social security schemes like, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Pension Scheme (PM-SYM) to provide old age social security in the form of monthly pension (Ministry of Labour and Employment), health and maternity schemes (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare). The Central Government  is also implementing Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) to provide life and disability coverage to the unorganised workers depending upon their  eligibility.  The  Government  has  also  formulated  the  Code  on Social Security, 2020 to extend social security to all employees and workers in organised and unorganised sectors.

**                                                 *****

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2489 for 04.08.2025.

| Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors                    | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   | Details of Court Cases Related to Contract Workers in Various Sectors   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl.No                                                                   | NAME OF THE REGIONS                                                     | STATE                                                                                    | OIL & GAS                                                               | BANKING & INSURANC E                                                    | COAL MINES                                                              | NON- COAL MINES                                                         | PORTS                                                                   | TELECOM                                                                 | RAILWAYS                                                                | AIR TRANSPORT                                                           | AGRICULT URE                                                            | POWER                                                                   | OTHERS                                                                  |
| 1                                                                       | Ahmedabad                                                               | Gujarat                                                                                  | 24                                                                      | 10                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 130                                                                     | 0                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 86                                                                      |
| 2                                                                       | Ajmer                                                                   | Rajasthan                                                                                | 26                                                                      | 30                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 26                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 9                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 54                                                                      |
| 3                                                                       | Asansol                                                                 | West Bengal                                                                              | NIL                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | 205                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | 7                                                                       | 18                                                                      | NIL                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | 99                                                                      | 175                                                                     |
| 4                                                                       | Bangalore                                                               | Karnataka                                                                                | NIL                                                                     | 70                                                                      | NIL                                                                     | 2                                                                       | NIL                                                                     | 2                                                                       | 4                                                                       | NIL                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | 75                                                                      |
| 5                                                                       | Bhubaneswar                                                             | Odisha                                                                                   | 21                                                                      | 54                                                                      | 59                                                                      | 64                                                                      | 28                                                                      | 15                                                                      | 42                                                                      | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | 62                                                                      |
| 6                                                                       | Chandigarh                                                              | Chandigarh - 128 Punjab - 132 Haryana- 176 Himachal Pradesh- 98 Jammu &Leh Ladakh- 82    | 96                                                                      | 98                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 89                                                                      | 80                                                                      | 9                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 78                                                                      | 214                                                                     |
| 7                                                                       | Chennai                                                                 | Tamil Nadu and Puducherry                                                                | 3                                                                       | 18                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 4                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 4                                                                       | 7                                                                       | 23                                                                      |
| 8                                                                       | Cochin                                                                  | Kerala                                                                                   | 13                                                                      | 5                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 4                                                                       | 10                                                                      | 47                                                                      | 3                                                                       | 7                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 19                                                                      |
| 9                                                                       | Dehradun                                                                | Uttarakhand & Western UP                                                                 | 5                                                                       | 8                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 23                                                                      |
| 10                                                                      | Dhanbad                                                                 |                                                                                          | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 9                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | -                                                                       | 4                                                                       |
| 11                                                                      | Guwahati                                                                | Assam-63 Meghalaya -7 Manipur-1, Arunachal Pradesh-0, Tripura - 0, Mizoram-0, Nagaland-0 | 18                                                                      | 3                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 1                                                                       | 1                                                                       |                                                                         |                                                                         | 48                                                                      |
| 12                                                                      | Hyderabad                                                               | Telangana -16; Andhra Pradesh NIL                                                        | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 9                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 6                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 1                                                                       |
| 13                                                                      | Jabalpur                                                                | Madhya Pradesh                                                                           | 45                                                                      | 21                                                                      | 185                                                                     | 117                                                                     | 0                                                                       | 37                                                                      | 85                                                                      | 10                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 27                                                                      | 248                                                                     |
| 14                                                                      | Kanpur                                                                  | Uttar Pradesh                                                                            | 27                                                                      | 45                                                                      | 10                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 18                                                                      | 57                                                                      | 15                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 27                                                                      | 75                                                                      |
| 15                                                                      | Kolkata                                                                 | West Bengal                                                                              | 0                                                                       | 9                                                                       | 17                                                                      |                                                                         | 10                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 16                                                                      |
| 16                                                                      | Mumbai                                                                  | Maharashtra & Goa                                                                        | 43                                                                      | 64                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 22                                                                      | 15                                                                      | 86                                                                      | 22                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 177                                                                     |
| 17                                                                      | Nagpur                                                                  | Maharashtra                                                                              | 0                                                                       | 40                                                                      | 5                                                                       | 3                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 12                                                                      | 0                                                                       | 22                                                                      |
| 18                                                                      | NewDelhi                                                                | Delhi                                                                                    | 5                                                                       | 32                                                                      | 2                                                                       | 3                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 5                                                                       | 10                                                                      | 14                                                                      | 1                                                                       | 3                                                                       | 255                                                                     |
| 19                                                                      | Patna                                                                   | Bihar                                                                                    | 80                                                                      | 36                                                                      | 2                                                                       | 2                                                                       | 0                                                                       | 12                                                                      | 39                                                                      | 7                                                                       | 8                                                                       | 331                                                                     | 297                                                                     |
| 20                                                                      | Raipur                                                                  | Chhattisgarh                                                                             | 5                                                                       | 4                                                                       | 49                                                                      | 166                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | NIL                                                                     | 86                                                                      | 14                                                                      | NIL                                                                     | 37                                                                      | 213                                                                     |

## Annexure-I

| Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts             | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   | Number of Cases pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No                                                                         | Name of Region                                                                 | State                                                                                    | Wages related                                                                  | Job Security related                                                           | Related Social Security Benefits                                               | Related Non payments of dues                                                   | Related Unfair termination                                                     | Related Regularization of Services                                             |
| 1                                                                              | Ahmedabad                                                                      | Gujarat                                                                                  | 32                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 151                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 68                                                                             | 0                                                                              |
| 2                                                                              | Ajmer                                                                          | Rajasthan                                                                                | 32                                                                             | 2                                                                              | 13                                                                             | 24                                                                             | 78                                                                             | 0                                                                              |
| 3                                                                              | Asansol                                                                        | West Bengal                                                                              | 278                                                                            | 45                                                                             | 39                                                                             | 48                                                                             | 14                                                                             | 80                                                                             |
| 4                                                                              | Bangalore                                                                      | Karnataka                                                                                | 18                                                                             | 12                                                                             | 14                                                                             | 88                                                                             | 21                                                                             | 0                                                                              |
| 5                                                                              | Bhubaneswar                                                                    | Odisha                                                                                   | 19                                                                             | -                                                                              | 109                                                                            | 42                                                                             | 158                                                                            | 17                                                                             |
| 6                                                                              | Chandigarh                                                                     | Chandigarh - 128 Punjab - 132 Haryana- 176 Himachal Pradesh- 98 Jammu &Leh Ladakh- 82    | 426                                                                            | 74                                                                             | 65                                                                             | 88                                                                             | 11                                                                             | 2                                                                              |
| 7                                                                              | Chennai                                                                        | Tamil Nadu and Puducherry                                                                | 14                                                                             | 12                                                                             | 5                                                                              | 20                                                                             | 10                                                                             | 4                                                                              |
| 8                                                                              | Cochin                                                                         | Kerala                                                                                   | 14                                                                             | 10                                                                             | 13                                                                             | 25                                                                             | 41                                                                             | 5                                                                              |
| 9                                                                              | Dehradun                                                                       | Uttarakhand & Western UP                                                                 | 13                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 10                                                                             | Dhanbad                                                                        |                                                                                          | 6                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 3                                                                              | -                                                                              | 4                                                                              |
| 11                                                                             | Guwahati                                                                       | Assam-63 Meghalaya -7 Manipur-1, Arunachal Pradesh-0, Tripura - 0, Mizoram-0, Nagaland-0 | 57                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 4                                                                              | 5                                                                              | 1                                                                              | 4                                                                              |
| 12                                                                             | Hyderabad                                                                      | Telangana -16; Andhra Pradesh NIL                                                        | 16                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 13                                                                             | Jabalpur                                                                       | Madhya Pradesh                                                                           | 178                                                                            | 79                                                                             | 395                                                                            | 123                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 14                                                                             | Kanpur                                                                         | Uttar Pradesh                                                                            | 15                                                                             | 3                                                                              | 39                                                                             | 13                                                                             | 26                                                                             | 14                                                                             |
| 15                                                                             | Kolkata                                                                        | West Bengal                                                                              | 12                                                                             | 10                                                                             | 15                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 3                                                                              | 12                                                                             |
| 16                                                                             | Mumbai                                                                         |                                                                                          | 428                                                                            | 464                                                                            | 5                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 197                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 17                                                                             | Nagpur                                                                         | Maharashtra                                                                              | 6                                                                              | 25                                                                             | 15                                                                             | 36                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 18                                                                             | New Delhi                                                                      | Delhi                                                                                    | 97                                                                             | 60                                                                             | 67                                                                             | 77                                                                             | 15                                                                             | 16                                                                             |
| 19                                                                             | Patna                                                                          | Bihar                                                                                    | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 17                                                                             | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 15                                                                             |
| 20                                                                             | Raipur                                                                         | Chhattisgarh                                                                             | 12                                                                             | NIL                                                                            | 6                                                                              | NIL                                                                            | 3                                                                              | NIL                                                                            |

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