Shimla, May 1: The International Labour Day 2026 was marked with a thought-provoking dialogue and poetry session at the historic Gaiety Theatre, organised in association with Himalaya Sahitya Sanskriti Evam Paryavaran Manch.
Addressing the gathering, former HAS officer D.K. Manta said, “The International Labour Day is observed globally on May 1 since 1889. In India, it has been celebrated since 1923, when the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan organised it in Madras, now Chennai.”
He underlined the constitutional and legal framework around labour, adding, “Labour is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, allowing both the Union and the states to legislate.”
Highlighting recent reforms, Manta said the Union Government has enacted four major labour codes: the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. “However, these codes have not yet been fully implemented, as most states are still in the process of framing rules,” he noted.
Sharing insights from his administrative career and post-retirement experience, Manta stressed that ground realities of workers, especially in the unorganized sector, require deeper policy attention and effective implementation.
Earlier, the event featured senior police officer and literary enthusiast Soumya Sambasivan, who remarked that the erosion of human values often leads to conflict, while labour remains the foundation of creation and social stability. Academician Prof. Inder Singh Thakur and poet-critic Mamta Jayant also spoke, reflecting on the philosophical and social dimensions of labour and war.
The session was conducted by noted writer Deepti Saraswat, while Manch president S.R. Harnot expressed gratitude to the guests and participants, terming the event a meaningful confluence of literature, social thought and public discourse.
