India’s social protection coverage doubled from 24.4% to 48.8%, says Mansukh Mandaviya
New Delhi: Union Minister of Labour & Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated a two-day international seminar on “Formalization and Social Security Coverage for Workers in the Informal Sector: Challenges and Innovations” in New Delhi on January 20, 2025.
Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, Secretary (Labour & Employment), Sumita Dawra, ISSA President, Dr. Mohammed Azman along with other dignitaries graced the inaugural session of this technical seminar.
Addressing the gathering, Mandaviya said that social security must reach ordinary people to ensure they can live with their basic needs adequately met. He highlighted that the concept of social security dates back to ancient times and remains a continuous process. Mandaviya emphasised that people living below the poverty line, particularly those from the lowest strata of society, should be entitled to all the benefits and ease of living. He further stressed that even self-employed individuals should also be provided with social security measures.
Mandaviya pointed out that no other country has done as much as India in the past decade to improve social security for its citizens. He mentioned that “India’s social protection coverage doubled from 24.4 per cent to 48.8 per cent as per ILO’s World Social Protection Report 2024-26. Almost 920 million people, 65 per cent of population, are covered by at-least one social protection benefit (cash or in-kind) by Central Govt schemes. Average social protection coverage of the world increased by 5 per cent points due to India’s substantial progress in enhancing the social protection coverage”.
Mandaviya shared specific achievements, such as the fact that 600 million Indians are now covered under health security, with a free health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh available at more than 24,000 hospitals across the country. He also mentioned that 800 million people benefit from free food grain distribution ensuring food security. The launch of the eShram portal has been another key initiative, enabling more than 300 million informal workers to register and access social security benefits, he added. In the last 10 years, 248 million people have escaped multi-dimensional poverty due to these social security measures, he mentioned.
Union Minister also highlighted India’s impressive economic growth, with a 6.7 per cent GDP growth and a workforce of 643 million people. Women’s participation in the workforce has risen from 23.3 per cent to 41.7 per cent in the last 6 years, he added. Mandaviya also addressed the emerging gig economy, announcing that the new labour code has defined gig workers, and that efforts are being made to bring them under the umbrella of social security.
