e-Shram: 270 million informal sector workers join portal
Having already got around 270 million unorganised sector workers on the e-Shram portal launched on August 26, the labour ministry hopes to bring all the estimated 380 million of them on board by March 2023. The Aadhaar-seeded centralised database is being created primarily to deliver all future social security benefits of the Centre and the states meant for such workers.
A senior ministry official, however, said the process of registration will go on even after all 380 million workers joining the portal since anyone above 16 years is eligible to get herself registered on the portal.
“New generation will be coming in. Every year, there will be new addition. So, we cannot put an end point or a sunset clause to this registration. This registration will continue,” the official said. Labour ministry is the nodal ministry for planning, policy formulation and implementation of the project at the national level.
All workers, aged between 16-59 years, and not members of existing social sector schemes run by the ESIC, EPFO or NPS are eligible to register in the e-Shram portal. After registering, those within the 18-59 years bracket get an accidental insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) for the first year at no cost. From the second year, she has to pay an annual premium of Rs 12 to remain continuously covered under the insurance scheme.
The database will have details of name, occupation, address, educational qualification, skill types, family details, etc. for optimum realisation of their employability and extend the benefits of the social security schemes to them. The portal also provides portability of the benefits to the migrant and construction workers.
More than 400 occupations are being incorporated and registered under this portal.
Once the portal is ready, it will have the interoperability and connection of database of benefits of other ministries also.