Gig Workers Alert! Register on e-Shram Portal by June 22

Gig Workers Scheme: Good news for gig workers. In India, individuals are employed by companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, Ola, and Uber. The government is now swiftly working to offer social security benefits to these workers. Ashutosh Pednekar, a senior official in the Ministry of Labor, mentioned that the government is drafting regulations to enhance this sector and ensure worker security. Presently, approximately 10 million people are engaged in this sector, and this figure is projected to rise to 25 million by the end of this decade.

What benefits will gig workers receive?

The government’s main objective is to provide workers with essential amenities and security. Efforts are being made to offer the following benefits:

Accident Insurance: Financial support will be available in the event of an accident while working.
Health Cover and Maternity Support: Health benefits for illness treatment and maternity assistance will be extended to female employees.
Old Age Protection: There will be measures in place for old-age security to safeguard the future.
Other assistance: Educational loans for children’s schooling and support for funeral costs will also be provided.

What new measures is the government implementing for this?

The government is undertaking two significant initiatives to enforce the law. Firstly, a National Social Security Board has been established, which will focus specifically on the welfare of gig and platform workers. Secondly, a Social Security Fund is being set up to finance these initiatives. The government is currently collaborating with fund managers to ensure that the funds are delivered directly and efficiently to the workers.

Why are companies being linked to the e-Shram portal?

The government’s most powerful tool to make this entire plan successful is the ‘e-Shram’ portal. The government wants all aggregators (companies) to add their workers’ data to this portal. This will connect the companies’ databases and the e-Shram portal. Its biggest advantage will be real-time tracking of workers’ benefits. Employees will be able to view complete information about their entitlements and benefits digitally through a mobile app. This system will function as the country’s digital public infrastructure, ensuring workers’ benefits remain seamless even when they move from one platform to another.

Why is the June 22 deadline important for companies?

The Ministry of Labor has issued strict instructions to all platform companies to integrate their workers’ data with the e-Shram portal before the June 22nd deadline. The government is implementing this work under a very strict timeline. The biggest challenge facing policymakers is to ensure that they provide complete social security to workers while also ensuring that companies’ flexibility is maintained, as this is a vital and rapidly growing sector that provides employment to young people.