New Delhi, Nov 22: India’s top industry bodies and staffing leaders on Saturday labelled the implementation of the Four Labour Codes a landmark step toward formalising the workforce, expanding social security, and aligning India’s labour framework with global standards.

The India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA) said the reforms would significantly benefit the high-technology sectors by enhancing workforce stability, improving safety standards, and enabling labour flexibility with social protection.

“Mandatory appointment letters, universal minimum wages, and pan-India social security coverage (including ESIC expansion) ensure greater formalisation. This strengthens worker confidence — critical for skill-intensive manufacturing such as fabs, ATMP, component manufacturing and design centres,” said Ashok Chandak, President, IESA and SEMI India.

Provisions for fixed-term employment, faster dispute resolution, single licensing, and simplified compliance directly support the scaling of high-tech manufacturing clusters, the statement said.

Meanwhile, parity of benefits for Fixed-Term Employees (FTE) and expanded social security protections ensure a balanced, worker-centric ecosystem, he added.

Sachin Alug, CEO of NLB Services, a technology and digital talent provider, said the reforms were long overdue for India’s gig economy and will offer protection to a fast-growing but previously unorganised workforce.

The new laws are also expected to promote gender parity in the workforce by opening doors to wider opportunities across diverse sectors. Additionally, other groups such as”

He also pointed out that new laws will promote gender parity and contract workers, youth workers, and fixed-term employees will benefit from clearer working-hour norms, expanded social security, minimum wage protections, and health benefits.

“By simplifying compliance and unifying the regulatory framework, the codes can significantly expand formal employment, bringing millions of workers, especially in industries that rely on contract, temporary, and project-based roles, into the fold of structured, protected work,” said Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice President, TeamLease Services.

“National floor minimum wage creates a consistent benchmark across states and is an important step in India’s evolution from a minimum-wage economy to a living-wage economy,” he noted.

Suchita Dutta, Executive Director of Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), said the codes simplify compliance for employers, reduce regulatory burdens, and foster a more flexible hiring environment — crucial for the staffing industry, which has long advocated for such changes to unlock formal job creation.

The government, on November 21, implemented the Four Labour Codes — the Code on Wages (2019), Industrial Relations Code (2020), Code on Social Security (2020), and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code (2020) — repealing and rationalising 29 existing central labour laws.

Mumbai: A massive fire broke out at Dharavi near the Mahim Railway Station today, November 22. According to several reports, atleast two blast were heard. As the fire broke close to the railway tracks, Media reported that train services hit services on the Western Railway were hit.

Citing a Western Railway Spokesperson, the daily added that five trains have been regulated between Mahin and Bandra stations.

New Delhi, Nov 22: A team of the Anti-Gangster Squad (AGS), led by Inspector Krishan Kumar on Saturday arrested 32-year-old accused Rajeev alias Raj in Timarpur. He was wanted in a sensational attempt-to-murder case registered under FIR No. 529/2025 on October 25, under Sections 109(1)/3(5) of the BNS. The accused had been absconding since the incident.

According to a statement issued by the AGS, on October 24 at around 7 p.m., an altercation took place between Rajeev and Vishal near the Sulabh Shauchalaya in Sanjay Basti, Timarpur. Acting as a responsible citizen, Rahul, the complainant, made a PCR call to report the quarrel. When the accused learned that Rahul had informed the police, both Rajeev and Vishal became enraged and attacked him with a knife, inflicting multiple injuries.

After the attack, both accused fled the scene. A case was subsequently registered under FIR No. 529/2025 at Timarpur Police Station. Both men remained absconding until Rajeev’s arrest.

With Rajeev’s arrest, the sensational attempt-to-murder case has been partially solved. Vishal, however, is still on the run.

In response to rising incidents of street crime, armed assaults, and gang-related activities in the national Capital, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has intensified efforts to trace and apprehend active and absconding criminals. The AGS has been specifically tasked with developing Intelligence networks and conducting surveillance on such offenders across Delhi and neighbouring states.

A dedicated AGS team led by Inspector Krishan Kumar and comprising SI Agam Prasad, SI Braj Lal, ASI Gobind, ASI Surender, ASI Mintu, HC Vinod, HC Dharmraj, and HC Deepak was formed under the close supervision of Bhagwati Prasad, ACP/AGS, and the direction of Harsh Indora, IPS, DCP/Crime Branch, to trace the accused.

The team conducted persistent manual Intelligence gathering along with technical surveillance on Rajeev’s movements. On November 20, the team received credible secret information regarding his location. Acting swiftly, the AGS laid surveillance and successfully apprehended Rajeev from Dwarka Mor, Delhi.

During sustained interrogation, the accused admitted to his involvement in the attempt-to-murder case and revealed several past involvements in criminal activities.

Rajeev, a resident of Sanjay Basti, Timarpur, lives with his mother, younger brother Vishal, sister Babita, wife Simran, and four-year-old son. He is uneducated and works as a caretaker at a Sulabh toilet in Timarpur.

Due to drug addiction and association with criminal elements, he has been involved in unlawful activities since childhood and has been imprisoned multiple times. He is a declared Bad Character (BC) of PS Timarpur and a previous convict in FIR No. 190/2009, registered under Sections 395/397/34 of the IPC at PS Dwarka Sector-23, Delhi.