Govt to extend social security to gig workers

New Delhi: The Central government will soon open its e-Shram portal to gig and platform workers, granting them access to federal social-security schemes, Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Sunday. This move aims to provide gig workers with similar benefits available to those already registered on the portal, including public life and accidental insurance.

Mandaviya revealed that the labour ministry will require aggregators and platform operators to facilitate the registration of gig workers. An online system

will be introduced to streamline this process. This initiative is

part of the government's broader effort to extend social-security benefits to the burgeoning gig economy, which, according to the Economic Survey 2023-24, is expected to grow to 23.5 million workers by 2029-39.

The Social Security Code 2020, which encompasses the gig economy, is a pivotal step in recognizing and formalising the roles of gig workers.

Despite the enactment of four labour codes during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s previous term, their implementation is pending as not all states have developed the required rules.

The e-Shram portal, India’s first national database for informal workers, also includes provisions for free rations, annual travel payments, and public insurance benefits.