Newz Desk, Durgapur: India’s centralised database for informal-sector workers continues to grow steadily, with more than 31.38 crore unorganised workers and over 5.09 lakh gig and platform workers registered on the e-Shram portal till November 2024, the Union Labour Ministry informed Parliament on Monday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said that the government has made significant progress in linking welfare schemes with the national worker database. Fourteen schemes from various Central ministries and departments have already been integrated with the portal to streamline access to social security benefits, health services and other welfare programmes.
The e-Shram portal, launched on August 26, 2021, aims to build a comprehensive national database of unorganised, gig, and platform workers. Registration is Aadhaar-linked and provides each worker a Universal Account Number (UAN), enabling portability of benefits across states and sectors.
New Push for Gig Worker Welfare
A major policy boost for gig and platform workers was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, including mandatory registration on e-Shram, formal identity cards, and extension of Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) health coverage to eligible workers.
The government emphasised that expanding formal protections for gig workers—who form a rapidly growing segment of the workforce—is a key priority.
Employment Incentive Scheme Targets 3.5 Crore Jobs
In addition, the Ministry highlighted the implementation of the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, titled the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, which aims to promote job creation and strengthen social security.
With an outlay of ₹99,446 crore, the scheme seeks to incentivise the generation of over 3.5 crore jobs across sectors over the next two years, with a special emphasis on boosting employment in the manufacturing industry.
Officials said the combined efforts—expanding the e-Shram database, improving welfare coverage, and incentivising employment—are part of a broader strategy to bring India’s vast informal workforce into a structured social protection framework.
Image courtesy@internet
