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The International Labour Organization has ranked India second in the world when it comes to providing social security coverage for its citizens. According to the ILO, India now provides social protection to around 94 crore citizens, with coverage rising to 64.3% of the population from 24.4% in 2019.

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This is encouraging statistics but the devil, as is often the case, may lie in the details. For instance, the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey shows that the percentage of regular wage/salaried employees not eligible for any specified social security benefits stood at 53.4% in 2023-24. Many of these people would also not be entitled to State welfare schemes as they would not meet the annual wage criteria of these policies. Additionally, over 80% of the Indian population works in the informal sector and is dependent entirely on State welfare schemes like the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in terms of social security.