T he government’s initiative to consolidate 29 distinct labour laws into four comprehensive labour codes is one of the most ambitious reforms of India’s regulatory framework in recent decades. This reorganisation extends beyond mere administrative restructuring. It signifies a substantive recalibration of the social contract among the state, workers, and enterprises, undertaken at a critical juncture when the configuration of the nation’s labour market will influence the sustainability of its economic growth.

Throughout much of the post-Independence era, India’s labour regulations have resembled a disordered palimpsest, characterised by overlapping statutes drafted during various political periods, each driven by distinct concerns, and often in contradiction with one another. This comple

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