India’s migrant workers gain protections as new rules demand appointment letters and track movement

Self-moved workers become legally visible under new law

India has notified the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, effective immediately, to implement the OSH&WC Code, 2020. The rules are aimed at inter-state migrant workers and mark a sharp break from the 1979 contractor-focused regime, which left self-driven migrants largely invisible. Key changes include recognizing self-moved workers, requiring standardized appointment letters, setting up a digital database, enabling portable ration cards, and introducing journey and displacement allowances tied to worker tracking systems.