Lok Sabha Question No. 2470 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Labour Reforms and Workers Welfare under EPFO and ESIC
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Dr. Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2470

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## LABOUR REFORMS AND WORKERS WELFARE UNDER EPFO AND ESIC

2470. DR. BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)the details of the key reforms introduced by the Government in labour welfare, wage standardisation and social security; (b)the details of the impact of reforms on workforce formalisation, The  Employees  Provident  Fund  Organisation  (EPFO)/Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) coverage and safety; (c)the details of the role of digital platforms like Shram Suvidha and e-Shram in service delivery; and (d)the  manner  in  which  said  reforms  benefitted  the  informal  and
- unorganised workers?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a) to (d): The Government has enacted four Labour Codes namely, the  Code  on  Wages,  2019,  the  Code  on  Social  Security,  2020,  the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 after simplification, amalgamation and rationalization of the relevant provisions of  the existing  29  Central  Labour  Acts.  The  Labour  Codes  have  been enacted with an objective of strengthening the welfare of workers, including unorganized workers in terms of statutory minimum wage, social  security  and  healthcare.  The  Code  on  Wages,  2019  has universalized statutory right for minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all workers to support sustainable growth and inclusive development. Code on Social Security, 2020 (CoSS) aims to extend social  security  benefits  to  all  workers  both  in  the  organised  and unorganised  sectors.  The  provisions introduced  in  this  Code  to enhance coverage of social security are as follows:

i.        The  coverage  of  Employees'  State  Insurance  Corporation (ESIC) has been extended pan-India as against notified districts/areas, enabling the provisions for ESIC coverage on voluntary basis for establishments having less than 10 employees. Further,  benefits  under  ESIC  can  also  be  made  applicable  to  an establishment which  carries on hazardous  or life threatening occupation as notified by the Central Government, in which even a single  employee  is  employed.    The  provisions  of  CoSS  relating  to Employees ' Provident Fund are applicable to every establishment in which twenty or more employees are employed.

ii.    The  Code  envisages  a  Social  Security  Fund  for  formulating schemes for welfare of the unorganized workers, gig workers and platform workers.

iii.   The Central Government has been empowered to extend benefits to unorganized workers, gig workers and platform workers and the members of their families through ESIC or Employees' Provident Fund Organization.

The  initiatives  like  e-Shram  Portal  and  Shram  Suvidha Portal have played an important role in service delivery. The details are as follows:-

(i) The  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment  launched  e-Shram portal  (eshram.gov.in)  on  26th  August  2021  for  creation  of  a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW) seeded with Aadhaar. The portal is meant to register and support the unorganised workers by providing them a Universal Account Number (UAN) on a self-declaration basis.

(ii) The Shram Suvidha Portal (SSP) was launched on 16th October, 2014.  The  Directorate  General  Mines  Safety  (DGMS),  Chief  Labour Commissioner (CLC), Employees ' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and  Employees '  State  Insurance  Corporation  (ESIC)  through  SSP generates  a  unique  Labour  Identification  Number  (LIN)  online  to businesses and employers registered on the portal. The portal has eased  the  complexity  of  compliance  by  providing  the  facilities  of online registration, license and return filing to business entities along with  randomised  risk  based  inspection  system,  thereby  reducing subjectivity, for the law implementing agencies.

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