Lok Sabha Question No. 135 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-21
Subject: Rights of Domestic Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Sudama Prasad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 135 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.07.2025

## RIGHTS OF DOMESTIC WORKERS

## 135. SHRI SUDAMA PRASAD:

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

- (a)whether the Government has maintained data on complaints raised by the domestic workers regarding underpayment, exploitation and denial of basic labour rights across the country ;
- (b)if so, the details thereof along with the number of complaints received during the last ten years State/UT and year-wise and if not, whether the  Government  is  planning  to  establish  such  a  mechanism  to
- facilitate them;
- (c)whether the Government has taken any steps to formulate a central legislation to regulate wages, working conditions, social security and grievance  redressal  for  domestic  workers  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (d)whether the  Government  is  recognises  that  in  the  absence  of  any enforceable  legal  framework,  domestic  workers  are  excluded  from minimum wage laws and are unable to seek redress for abuse or nonpayment; and
- (e)whether  the  Government  intends  to  ratify  International  Labour Organisation's Domestic Worker (ILO) Convention No. 189 and if not, the reasons for delay?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e): Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  has  launched  on  26th August, 2021 the eShram portal which is a National Database of the Unorganised Workers, including domestic workers, seeded with Aadhaar.  The  portal  has  been  made  available  to  the  States/  UTs  for registration  of  various  categories  of  unorganized  workers  on  eShram portal.  The  portal  is  meant  to  register  and  support  the  unorganized workers by providing them Universal Account Number (UAN) on a selfdeclaration  basis.  As  on  16.07.2025,  over  30.94  crore  unorganized workers, including domestic workers, are registered on eShram.

In  keeping  with  the  vision  of  the  Budget  Announcement, 202425, on developing eShram as a "One-Stop-Solution" for unorganized workers to have access to various social security schemes, Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment  launched  the  eShram-"One-StopSolution"  on  21st  October  2024.  eShram-"One-Stop-Solution"  entails integration of different social security/ welfare schemes at single portal i.e.  eShram.  This  enables  unorganised  workers,  including  domestic workers, registered on eShram to access social security schemes and see benefits availed by them so far, through eShram.

So far, 14 schemes of different Central Ministries/ Departments have already been integrated/ mapped with the eShram including  Pradhan  Mantri  Street  Vendors    Atmanirbhar  Nidhi  (PMSVANidhi),  Pradhan  Mantri  Suraksha  Bima  Yojana  (PMSBY),  Pradhan Mantri  Jeevan  Jyoti  Bima  Yojana  (PMJJBY),  National  Family  Benefit Scheme (NFBS), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee  Act  (MGNREGA),  Pradhan  Mantri  Awas  Yojana  -  Gramin (PMAY-G), Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY).

The newly enacted Labour Codes, viz Code on Wages, 2019, Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2020 and Social  Security  Code,  2020  provide  for,  inter-alia,  decent  working conditions, wages, occupational Safety, grievances redressal mechanism  and  social  security  benefits  to  all  categories  of  workers including domestic workers. To  check exploitation of domestic workers and regulate the wages, there are various laws like the Unorganised Workers'  Social  Sec urity  Act,  2008,  Minimum  Wages  Act,  1948,  the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition And Redressal) Act, 2013, the Prevention of Atrocities (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes) Act, 1989 and the BNS, 2023, in force.

The  State/UT  Governments  have  been  advised  to  regulate the  functioning  including  registration  of  private  placement  agencies. Complaints  relating  to  such  agencies  are  dealt  by  respective  State Governments/UT Administration under the provisions of BNS or  other prevailing  Acts  under  which  such  establishments  are  registered. Committees  had  been  constituted  from  time  to  time  on  the  issues pertaining to private placement agencies and the Ministry has issued advisories  to  State  /  UT  Governments  to  take  all  necessary  steps  to protect  the  interest  of  workers  by  regulating  the  conduct  of  private placement agencies.

India  has  not  ratified  ILO  Convention  No.189  concerning Domestic  Workers.    It  has  always  been  the  practice  in  India  that Government of India ratify a Convention when Government of India is fully  satisfied  that  our  laws  and  practices  are  in  conformity  with  the relevant ILO Convention.

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