Lok Sabha Question No. 58 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-01
Subject: Welfare Schemes for Gig Economy Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Smt. Shambhavi, Shri Rajesh Verma, Dr. Lata Wankhede, Shri Atul Garg

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 58 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025

## WELFARE SCHEMES FOR GIG ECONOMY WORKERS

58. SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

SHRI ATUL GARG:

SMT. SHAMBHAVI:

DR. LATA WANKHEDE:

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

- (a)whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  current  status  of informal  and  gig  economy  workers  in  the  country  especially  in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh including their access to social security, health benefits and welfare schemes;
- (b)the details of the steps taken by the Government during the last three  years  to  implement  and  monitor  schemes  such  as  the Employees' Provident Fund, Employees' State Insurance an d other welfare measures for unorganised sector workers in the country especially in the said States;
- (c)whether  the  Government  has  introduced  or  planed  to  introduce new skill development and reskilling programmes in the country especially in the said States to improve employability, particularly for women and youth and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)the  details  of  the  measures  undertaken  in  the  State  to  ensure timely grievance redressal, compliance with minimum wages and
- safe working conditions across sectors; and
- (e)the details of the long-term strategies planned to improve formal employment, social security coverage and overall labour welfare for workers in the country especially in the said States?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b): The Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched the eShram  (National  Database  of  Unorganised  Workers)  portal  on  26 th August  2021  to  register  unorganised,  Gig  and  Platform  workers (seeded with Aadhaar) by providing them with a Universal Account Number (UAN) on a self-declaration basis. As of November, 2025 over

31.38 Crore unorganised workers and over 5.09 lakh Gig and Platform workers have already been registered on the e-Sharam portal. So far, fourteen  schemes  of  different  Central  ministries/department  have already  been  integrated/mapped  with  eSharam  portal  to  provide access to social security, health benefits and welfare schemes.

The details of the registered unorganised workers under eShram  who  have  benefited  from  various  welfare  schemes  as  on 19.11.2025, are given below:

| Scheme                                                              | Number of Registrations   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
| One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)                                  | 24,15,55,436              |
| Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)       | 15,10,06,017              |
| Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)                         | 8,49,72,519               |
| Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) | 6,16,93,566               |
| Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM- KISAN)                       | 3,94,74,997               |
| Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)                    | 2,25,52,084               |
| Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G)                        | 98,06,495                 |
| Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PMSVANidhi)        | 32,38,555                 |
| Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandna Yojana (PMMVY)                          | 31,58,528                 |
| Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U)                         | 24,83,426                 |
| Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)                | 11,71,070                 |
| Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)           | 1,67,068                  |
| Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)                        | 23,803                    |

Further, Government of India in its Budget Announcement for financial year 2025-26 has announced several key measures for the welfare of Gig workers of online platforms (platform workers) viz. their registration on the e-Shram portal, issuance of identity cards,

and  extension  of  health  care  benefits  under  Ayushman  Bharat-

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

(c): Employment generation coupled with improving employability for youth and women is the priority of the Government. Accordingly, Government is implementing various employment generation schemes/ programmes in the country.  Some of them are Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana  (PMMY),  Stand-UP  India  Scheme, Startup India, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), etc.

Government is implementing Skill India Mission (SIM) to deliver  skill,  re-skill  and  up-skill  training  through  an  extensive network of skill  development  centres/  schools/  colleges  /institutes etc.  under  various  schemes,  viz.  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas National Apprenticeship  Promotion  Scheme  (NAPS)  and  Craftsmen  Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with

Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), industry relevant skills.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)  has  initiated  'Future  Skills  PRIME'  a  programme  for  Re -skilling/Up-skilling of IT Manpower for Employability in 10 new/emerging  technologies  including  Artificial  Intelligence.  Under this programme so far, 18.56 Lakh+ candidates have signed-up on the Future Skills PRIME Portal, out of which, 3.37 Lakhs+ candidates have completed their course.

In addition, the Government is implementing Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme named as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to support employment generation, enhance employability  and  social  security  across  all  sectors,  with  special focus on the manufacturing sector. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 Crore aims to incentivize the creation of more than 3.5 Crore jobs in the country, over a period of 2 years.

Further, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India is running the National Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a  one-stop  solution  for  providing  career  related  services  including information on jobs from private and government sectors, information on  online &  offline job fairs,  job  search  &  matching,  career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses,  employability  enhancement  programmes  etc.  through  a digital platform[www.ncs.gov.in].

(d): The  measures  for  ensuring  timely  grievance  redressal, compliance  with  minimum  wages,  and  safe  working  conditions across sectors in the States have been provided in the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Wages, 2019, and the Code on Social Security, 2020 respectively.  Workers can lodge complaints related  to  claims  for  wage,  gratuity,  maternity  benefits,  illegal termination, industrial disputes and other issues on the Samadhan Portal for the resolution of their grievances. Additionally workers can also submit their complaints through CPGRAMS for timely disposal.

- (e): Four central Labour Codes have been made effective from 21.11.2025.  Various provisions have been made in the Codes as a long-term  strategy  to  improve  formal  employment,  social  security coverage, and overall labour welfare in the country.  Some of them are given below:
- i)  Ensuring payment of minimum wage universally for all employment
- ii)Timely payment of wages

iii)Payment of wages through either cheque or electronic mode only iv)Formalisation of appointment by mandatory issue of appointment letter all workers/employees

v)Mandatory free of cost annual health check up of workers

- vi) extending social security to all unorganised workers including gig and platform workers
- vii) Annual health check-up of all workers above 40 years of age.
- viii) Women workers/employees will be eligible for maternity benefit.
- ix)Creche facility in establishments having 50 or more workers/employees.

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