Govt Relaunches Eshram Portal With New Features For Gig Workers

On Monday, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya relaunched the ‘eShram: One-stop solution’ portal – a National database of Unorganised workers. This portal is available to the States/Union Territories for the registration of unorganised workers, including migrant workers. The portal also allows a worker to register himself or herself on a self-declaration basis. 

Mandaviya said during the relaunch that every day, approximately 60,000 to 90,000 workers are signing up for the eShram platform. Furthermore, he added that the platform will serve as a link between workers and social security and welfare schemes offered by the government, streamlining the process through a single platform. eShram was first launched on August 26, 2021. Since 2021, 30 crore unorganised workers have enrolled. 

Till now, the ministry has integrated 12 central schemes with the eShram database. 

The schemes enrolled on the portal are ration card, PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), PMAY- Urban, National Career Service portal, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan, National Disability Pension, National Widow Pension, PM Matisya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH). ‘One-stop’ solution largely entails consolidating and integrating data from various central ministries and departments into a single repository. 

Nationalised Database linked with Aadhaar for Unorganised Workers

Earlier in July, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated in the Union Budget that the government would enhance access to a variety of services for labour, including employment and skill development, by fully integrating eShram with other portals to create a one-stop solution.Eshram card holders are liable to get Rs 2 lakh life insurance and Rs 3000 pension individually and Rs 6000 couple pension per month after retirement. For partially handicapped workers there is Rs 1 lakh in financial aid available.

The primary goal of the eShram portal is to create a nationalised database of unorganised workers linked with Aadhaar. Last month, during a meeting with platform aggregators like Urban Company, Swiggy, Instamart, Zomato, Blinkit, Porter, Amazon, Uber, and Ola, as well as Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Employers’ Federation of India, Mansukh Mandaviya stressed the importance of registering gig workers on the eShram portal.

What is eShram Card 2.0? 

E Shram Card 2.0 is an enhanced version of the eShram portal. A special committee has been established to develop a framework for providing social security benefits to gig and platform workers, such as those employed in delivery or ride-sharing services. Since these workers lack a conventional employer-employee relationship, the government intends to issue them a unique ID.

Old Portal Lacked Transparency

Out of the 30 crore workers registered on the portal, 47% are male and 53% are female, reported CNBC18 in 2023. Holders of eShram cards have expressed frustration over the lack of clarity surrounding welfare programs and the process for accessing promised benefits. Furthermore, Gig workers criticise the complicated registration forms, arguing that while eShram allows registration for around 400 occupations across 30 sectors, it fails to reflect the fluid nature of gig work.

Worker organisations have played a vital role in helping their members secure eShram cards; for instance, the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers reports assisting 2.5 lakh  members. However, some cardholders who faced accidents found themselves unable to claim the benefits they were promised. The labour ministry had earmarked Rs 300 crore for enhancing the eShram portal.

Also Read:

• Karnataka to levy 1-2% transaction cess for gig worker welfare fund
• Telangana: Urban Company Women Workers Write to Labour Department Against Alleged Wage Theft by Company
• Video: The State of Gig Worker Rights in India Today

The post Govt Relaunches eShram Portal with New Features for Gig Workers appeared first on MEDIANAMA.