The Employees' State Insurance Corporation now extends health security to about 25 crore people, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday at the CII-EFI National Conference on Industrial Relations in New Delhi.

Mandaviya said the government is also providing free food grains to 80 crore people, while 10 crore farmers receive Rs 2,000 every four months through direct bank transfers. He added that 10 states pay monthly amounts such as Rs 2,000, Rs 1,500 or Rs 1,200 into women's bank accounts.

On industrial relations, the minister said India must balance international labour practices, such as those of the International Labour Organization, with its own traditions and economic conditions. He said his decade of ministerial experience showed that global frameworks have to be adapted to India's context.

He urged states to review how labour welfare cess funds are being used and to assess the implementation of the labour codes a year after they took effect, according to reports.

The ministry had reported ESIC's beneficiary base at 15 crore in July 2026, up from 7.5 crore in 2014, a rise driven by wider coverage and Aadhaar-linked enrolment.