Welfare and safety of workers top on govt. agenda, asserts Labour Minister Subhash

Labour Minister Vasamsetti Subhash has said the coalition government is giving top priority to the welfare, safety, employment, and healthcare of workers in the State. The Labour Department hosted ‘Shramashakti and Best Management Awards–2026’ here on Wednesday. On the occasion, the Minister stated that the government considered both workers and management as “two eyes” of industrial development and was working towards maintaining a balanced approach between labour welfare and industrial growth. “When a worker enters a workplace, it is equivalent to placing his life in the hands of the employer, and therefore industries must ensure strict safety standards and protective measures for employees,” he said. Criticising the previous government for neglecting labour welfare, Mr. Subhash said several welfare schemes meant for construction workers had been discontinued earlier, affecting their livelihoods. He added that the NDA government restored those schemes, while simultaneously creating an industry-friendly atmosphere through Ease-of-Doing Business and Speed-of-Doing Business policies. The Minister said the State was witnessing increasing investments, leading to greater employment opportunities, and that the government was moving rapidly towards fulfilling its promise of creating 20 lakh jobs. Highlighting welfare measures for building and construction workers, he said the government was providing ₹20,000 as marriage assistance, ₹20,000 as maternity assistance, ₹60,000 as natural death compensation, and ₹20,000 towards funeral expenses. Subhash further announced that ‘Labour Addas’ were being established across the State to provide workers with facilities such as employment assistance, rest areas, washrooms, food, and skill training. He also said the government was conducting health screening tests for construction workers with an outlay of ₹250 crore. The Minister stated that modern ESI hospitals were being established in Tirupati, Achyutapuram, Guntur, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam, while proposals had been prepared for setting up 30 new ESI dispensaries across Andhra Pradesh. He said the government was also conducting third-party safety audits in factories through MoUs with universities, aiming to achieve “zero accidents” in industries through special safety protocols. The Minister noted that the government was strengthening the labour sector on five pillars — welfare, skill development, employment, healthcare, and dignity. He congratulated workers and managements who received awards for excellence during the event and called upon all sections to work together towards building Swarna Andhra Pradesh, where every worker lived with dignity and every youth got employment opportunities. Labour, Factories, Boilers and Insurance Medical Services Department Secretary M.V. Seshagiri Babu said several reforms had been introduced in the department in line with the Labour Codes. He stated that awareness programmes were being conducted to educate workers about the benefits of the Labour Codes and that steps were being taken to expand e-Shram and BOC registrations. Among those present were AP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Chairman V. Mallikharjuna Rao, Welfare Advisory Committee Chairman Gottumukkala Raghu Rama Raju, Minimum Wages Advisory Board Chairman P. Srinivasulu Reddy, Labour Welfare Board Vice-Chairman G. Venkata Shivudu Yadav, 20-Point Programme Implementation Committee Chairman Lanka Dinakar, Labour Commissioner Gandham Chandrudu and NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha.