India, April 29 -- The Indian Meteorological Department has declared that a year of extreme heat and a brutal summer looms ahead. Heat stress is now a periodic occurrence every year. Thus, labour law protections for workers against heat stress have become paramount. A clutch of news reports point to the death of building and construction workers and sanitation workers due to heat strokes. In 2022-2023, as per labour ministry data, heat/sun stroke killed 1,534 workers.

The International Labour Organization estimates that India is one of the hardest-hit countries in terms of heat stress suffered by labour. A recent study conducted on informal workers in Delhi found significant income loss for workers as a result of rising wet bulb temperat...