Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya is in Doha, Qatar for the Second World Summit for Social Development, where he highlighted India’s transformative journey across poverty alleviation and social protection in the High-Level Round Table and Plenary Session.

At a side event hosted by NITI Aayog yesterday on “Pathways Out of Poverty: India’s Experience in Empowering the Last Mile,” Dr. Mandaviya showcased India’s achievements in lifting nearly 250 million people out of multidimensional poverty and expanding social security coverage to over 64% of its population. He underlined that women and children remain central to India’s development vision, with over 118 million schoolchildren receiving mid-day meals and millions of women mobilized into Self-Help Groups driving grassroots entrepreneurship.

The Minister emphasized that India’s digital revolution through the JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) has transformed welfare delivery, ensuring transparency and inclusion. He highlighted that over 14 million youth have been trained under the Skill India Mission and the new Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana will create another 35 million formal jobs.

Dr. Mandaviya also took part in the Spotlight Session of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, organized yesterday by the International Labour Organization (ILO). He reiterated India’s firm commitment to advancing social justice and responsible business conduct. Union Minister underlined that India has created over 170 million jobs between 2017 and 2023, with unemployment declining from 6% to 3.2% and women’s workforce participation nearly doubling.

In his address, Dr. Mandaviya commended the ILO and the Global Coalition for fostering a global dialogue on social justice. He recalled that India hosted the first Regional Dialogue on Social Justice in February 2025, where over 21 organizations, including India’s largest employers’ federation and workers’ union, pledged to join the Coalition.

Union Minister also underlined India’s robust social security ecosystem, with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) serving over 78 million members and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) providing health and social protection to 158 million insured persons and dependents. He noted that the e-Shram platform, covering over 310 million unorganised workers, enables seamless access to social protection and better policymaking.

Dr. Mandaviya also held a series of bilateral meetings with key global counterparts:

• During his meeting with Ms. Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister of Social Development and Family of Qatar, Dr. Mandaviya appreciated Qatar’s warm hospitality and the strong people-to-people ties between the two nations. Both sides discussed enhancing cooperation in social protection, family welfare, and digital innovation. Dr. Mandaviya highlighted India’s expansion of social security to over 64% of its population and the success of its digital infrastructure, including UPI’s growing acceptance in Qatar.

• Dr. Mandaviya met Mr. Petre-Florin Manole, Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity of Romania, and discussed the long-standing 77-year partnership between India and Romania. He highlighted India’s major progress in expanding social protection coverage from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, benefitting over 940 million people. Both sides discussed the Education-to-Employment (E2E) initiative to strengthen skill development, language and cultural training, and labour mobility.

• In his meeting with ILO Director-General Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, the Union Minister reaffirmed India’s strong partnership with the ILO and appreciated its efforts in advancing a development-oriented global labour agenda. Both sides discussed deeper collaboration in social protection, skills, and labour mobility, and welcomed the recent MoU on a feasibility study for an international classification of occupations. Dr. Mandaviya highlighted India’s digital public infrastructure and expansion of social security through the e-Shram platform, as well as initiatives to extend pension coverage to gig and platform workers. He also expressed India’s interest in ILO’s technical engagement during its BRICS Presidency in 2026.

• During his meeting with Mr. Anton Olegovich Kotyakov, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, Dr. Mandaviya reaffirmed the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia and appreciated their close cooperation in multilateral forums such as the UN, G20, and BRICS. He expressed India’s intent to work closely with Russia during its upcoming BRICS Presidency in 2026.

• Dr. Mandaviya also met Ms. Roxana Minzatu, EU Executive Vice President for Social Rights and Skills on the sidelines of the Summit. He outlined India’s progress in formal employment generation, women’s workforce participation, and expansion of social security coverage. The Minister proposed exploring structured labour mobility partnerships to meet emerging skill demands in the EU and emphasized the importance of language and soft-skills training.

Dr. Mandaviya also interacted with the Indian community in Qatar, expressing pride in the over 8 lakh-strong diaspora for their sincerity, skills, and contribution as a key pillar of the India–Qatar partnership. He highlighted the deepening bilateral ties, including the elevation to a Strategic Partnership and expanding cooperation in trade and energy. The Minister briefed the community on India’s rapid economic growth, digital transformation, skilling initiatives, and infrastructure development under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, reaffirming that the Indian diaspora remains a vital partner in the nation’s progress.

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Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander