Sunidhi Agarwal, Chhavi Kapoor
Eminent Labour Economist & Professor, Human Resources Management Area at XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Dr K R Shyam Sundar’s new book titled ‘Impact of COVID- 19, Reforms and Poor Governance on Labour Rights’ was released today at a virtual event. He dedicated the book to the premier international academic body (co-founded by former President Shri V.V. Giri), the Indian Society of Labour Economics.
In the context of COVID-19, the induced pandemic, and the recent labor reforms IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, and Xavier School of Management organized the book discussion as part of the IMPRI series with Centre for Work and Welfare, The State of Employment #EmploymentDebate as ‘Impact of COVID-19, Reforms and Poor Governance on Labour Rights. The event was co organized by the Indian Social Institute (ISI), New Delhi, Working People’s Charter, and Counterview.
Dr Radhicka Kapoor, Senior Visiting Fellow, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi contributed as a discussant during the #WebPolicyTalk based on the topic, ‘Impact of COVID-19, Reforms and Poor Governance on Labor Rights‘.

Dr Radhicka Kapoor observed “India’s labour regulatory framework has witnessed substantial changes over the last year from the introduction of the four Labour Codes by the Central Government to the relaxations and amendments made by several state governments to key labour laws. Prof Shyam Sunder’s compilation of essays not only provides a systematic exposition of these changes but also critically analyses each of them, the various shortcomings, and how these can be addressed.
His (Dr Shyam Sundar) lucid writings help us navigate the labyrinth of India’s labour regulations and understand how we can move closer to this goal. Importantly, he urges us to expand the horizons of the debate on the subject beyond the narrow agenda of “flexibility” to issues like a minimum set of decent conditions of work and wages to all workers and a minimum basic level of social security.”
Some of the other points highlighted by her are given below which were tweeted live: