Centre's draft Labour Policy hails Manusmriti; Opposition says bid to slap RSS customs

Manusmriti has once again entered the political battlefield, this time through the Centre’s draft Labour Policy 2025, which claims that the ancient text “embeds the moral basis of labour governance within India’s civilisational fabric, centuries before the rise of modern labour law.”

Released for public comments earlier this month, the Shram Shakti Niti 2025, has ignited backlash from the Opposition that sees the reference as an attempt to reframe modern governance in ideological terms.

The policy, drawing from ancient treatises such as the Yajnavalkyasmriti, Naradasmriti, Sukraniti and Arthashastra asserts that India’s understanding of labour (srama) extends far beyond economics, portraying work as a sacred and moral duty that sustains dharma, social harmony and collective prosperity.

“Every worker — whether an artisan, farmer, teacher or industrial labourer — is an essential participant in the cycle of social creation,” the draft notes, positioning labour as a moral cornerstone of India’s civilisational ethos.

“The civilisational roots of India’s labour philosophy anticipated several elements now recognised as universal labour standards. The concept of Sulka Nyaya reflected the principle of wage justice — fair, prompt and proportionate compensation for work performed — with emphasis on both dignity and equity. The responsibility of employers to provide safe and humane working conditions —recorded in texts like the Sukraniti —prefigured modern occupational safety norms.

Guilds (sreṇis), which represented collective groups of artisans and workers, exemplified an early form of tripartite harmony, balancing the roles of the state, employers and workers in maintaining industrial peace. Moreover, decentralised regulation through guild councils demonstrated an understanding of subsidiarity, allowing decisions on skills, wages and welfare to be taken closest to where workers lived and laboured. These features show that India’s indigenous traditions of labour governance were participatory, inclusive and self-regulatory in character,” the draft read.

It further mentioned, “The Shram Shakti Niti 2025 draws inspiration from these indigenous frameworks while embedding them in the constitutional and international context of the modern state. The policy recognises that India’s ancient ideals — justice in compensation, welfare of workers, harmony among stakeholders, and decentralised management — are fully compatible with contemporary principles of decent work, social dialogue and sustainable development.

“By aligning these timeless values with the Labour Codes, particularly the Code on Wages (2019) and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020), the policy reclaims India’s own ethical and intellectual lineage in the governance of labour. This synthesis of tradition and modernity establishes labour not merely as a sectoral concern but as a moral and developmental commitment of the nation,” it read.

But the Opposition has sharply objected to the government’s invocation of Manusmriti, a text long criticised for its caste-based hierarchy and exclusionary codes.

The Congress leaders accused the Modi government of seeking to “replace constitutional morality with the Manusmriti’s moral order”.

“The Modi Govt’s draft Shram Shakti Niti 2025 released earlier this month for public feedback explicitly claims that the Manusmriti embeds ‘moral basis of labour governance within India’s civilisational fabric, centuries before the rise of modern labour law’. This return to the principles of the Manusmriti is in keeping with the RSS’ most cherished traditions. It had attacked the Constitution soon after it was adopted - on the grounds that it did not derive inspiration from the ideals and values of Manu as embodied in the Manusmriti,” posted Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X.

According to the government, the draft National Labour and Employment Policy places a strong emphasis on ensuring universal and portable social security for all workers. It envisions a single, unified account by linking platforms such as the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), e-SHRAM, and the state welfare boards.

The policy also outlines measures for implementing the Occupational Safety and Health Code with a focus on risk-based inspections and gender-responsive standards, while merging multiple skill development schemes under a common framework. It seeks to redefine India’s labour landscape to create a fair, inclusive, and future-oriented work environment consistent with the nation’s goal of becoming a developed country by 2047.

The government expects the policy to lead to universal worker registration, portability of social security benefits and a drastic reduction in workplace accidents. Other projected results include greater female participation in the workforce, formalisation of jobs through digital systems, use of artificial intelligence in labour governance across states, large-scale creation of green and dignified employment opportunities and the establishment of a fully integrated “One Nation, One Workforce” ecosystem.