Social security benefits: Platform aggregators asked to register workers on e-Shram portal

New Delhi: The government has invited platform aggregators to register their gig workers on the e-Shram portal that could help them access various social security

benefits. This registration is crucial to ensure workers’ access to social welfare schemes, the Ministry of Labour and Employment in a statement said, adding that aggregators will help develop an accurate registry of beneficiaries.

“The Ministry of Labour & Employment has taken another major step in extending social security benefits to gig and platform workers by inviting platform aggregators to register their workers on the e-Shram portal,” it said.

The e-Shram portal serves as a nationwide database of unorganised workers, designed to provide them with access to social security and welfare schemes. To guide the process, the statement said the ministry has issued an advisory with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlining aggregator responsibilities, including registering workers and updating their data.

Upon registration, platform workers will receive a Universal Account Number (UAN), which will allow them access to key social security benefits, it added. According to the statement, the central government, working with a few aggregators, has completed testing for API integration and is advancing the registration process.

This joint effort aims to ensure full coverage of gig workers, with ongoing collaboration between the ministry and platform aggregators, it said. Through the guidelines, aggregators have also been requested to regularly update workers’ details, including work engagement and payments.

Any workers’ exit must be reported promptly to maintain accurate records, the statement said. To assist with the onboarding of workers and aggregators, a toll-free helpline (14434) has been set up to provide information, guide registration, and resolve any technical issues encountered during the process. The ministry has also scheduled a meeting with the aggregators on Wednesday that will be chaired by Union Labour and Employment minister Mansukh Mandaviya to sensitise and encourage them in this initiative.