The Government of Andhra Pradesh on July 07, 2026, issued the Code on Social Security (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026.
This code covers establishment registration and several social security/welfare mechanisms. Employers must register establishments electronically through a designated state portal (Form-I), with certificates issued within seven days or auto-generated if delayed. Registrations lapse after 24 months without reported compliance, can be cancelled for false information (with a 30-day show-cause opportunity), and closure-related cancellations must be resolved within 90 days. The rules also establish two key bodies: the Andhra Pradesh Unorganised Workers Social Security Board and the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, detailing member nominations (including reserved seats for SC/ST/minority/women representatives), three-year terms capped at two renewals, meeting frequency (at least thrice yearly), quorum requirements, and allowances for members.
A separate chapter creates the Employees State Insurance Society as a managerial/healthcare body with a Governing Body and Executive Committee drawing from senior state officials, employer/employee representatives, and ESI Corporation nominees, along with rules on budgeting, audits, and banking. The gratuity chapter details nomination procedures (Form-I), application processes for claiming gratuity (Form-II through Form-VII), employer response timelines (15 days to assess a claim, 30 days to pay), appeal mechanisms, and trust/board-of-trustees management for exempted establishments. It also clarifies what counts as "wages" for gratuity calculation purposes, excluding items like medical reimbursements, stock options, and meal vouchers.
The maternity benefit chapter (Chapter V) covers certification requirements for pregnancy, delivery, miscarriage, or related conditions; claim and payment procedures; nursing break duration (15 minutes each, plus travel time); and detailed crèche facility standards for establishments with 50+ employees, including space, staffing, hygiene, and an alternative crèche allowance (minimum ₹500/month) where facilities aren't provided. It also defines "gross misconduct" grounds for denying maternity dismissal protections and sets out complaint/appeal procedures before an Inspector-cum-Facilitator and competent authority.
The final chapters address record-keeping and register maintenance (with 5-year retention), annual return filing (Form-XIII), compounding of offences (with a 15-day payment window before prosecution), cess payment timelines for construction workers' welfare, and an employment information/monitoring system requiring public and (eventually) private sector employers to report job vacancies to "career centres," maintain workforce records, and file yearly employment returns (Form-XVII), with designated "Executive Officers" responsible for enforcement.
They shall come into force on July 07, 2026.
[Notification No. 126, Labour Factories Boilers & Insurance Medical Services (Lab.II)]
