DROP THE PIECEMEAL WAYS TO SOCIAL SECURITY FOR WORKERS

As India strives to make its workforce ‘future ready’, robust social protection systems that can withstand workforce and sectoral changes need to be in place

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India’s efforts to establish social security for online (app-based) gig workers are gaining momentum, with the central scheme awaiting Cabinet approval. Benefits announced include health coverage under Ayushman Bharat, registration on the eShram portal for access to various social security schemes, and a transaction-based pension policy, where a universal account number assigned to each gig worker helps track their earnings across platforms for deductions and company contributions. This pension scheme is particularly notable because, in a way, it acknowledges that gig workers (operating outside traditional employee-employer relationships) can have multiple employers, and ensures that each contributes, albeit in a limited capacity, towards worker welfare. In a country where social security is typically tethered to formal employment and informal workers are excluded or otherwise disadvantaged, this is clearly a step forward.