In a landmark move, the Indian government has announced that all gig workers employed by online platforms will receive identity (ID) cards.
This initiative is part of the Union Budget 2025 and aims to provide social security and healthcare benefits to approximately one crore gig workers.
Gig Workers: Program Details and Healthcare Benefits
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the issuance of ID cards and registration on the e-Shram portal for gig workers.
The e-Shram portal, created in August 2021, serves as a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW). It will now include gig workers.
This move is expected to streamline the process of providing social security benefits to these workers.
In addition to ID cards, they will also receive healthcare benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), which provides health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
This scheme aims to mitigate catastrophic medical expenses and provide cashless access to healthcare services across India.
Social Security Scheme
The government’s initiative is a response to the growing recognition of gig workers’ contributions to the economy.
The Code on Social Security includes them for the first time. It mandates that aggregators contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover to a social security fund.
This fund will provide benefits such as life and health insurance, old age protection, and other welfare measures.
The rapidly growing gig economy expects significant impact from the move.
With an estimated 7.7 million gig workers in 2020-21, the government’s initiative aims to provide a safety net for them.
Projections indicate that this number will grow to 23.5 million by 2029-30.
States like Rajasthan, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Haryana have already introduced measures to ensure social security for them.
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