NEW DELHI, (IANS): The Labour Ministry
on Saturday urged the platform workers to self-register themselves on e-Shram
portal, so that they may be considered for the benefits under the scheme at the
earliest.
The gig and platform economy is
expanding, offering new jobs in sectors like ridesharing, delivery, logistics,
and professional services.
NITI Aayog has projected that
the gig economy in India will employ over 1 crore workers in 2024-25,
subsequently reaching 2.35 crore by 2029-30.
Recognizing the contribution of
the gig and platform workers to the nation’s economy, Union Budget 2025-26
announcement has provisions for registration of online platform workers on
e-Shram portal, issue of identity cards, and healthcare coverage under Ayushman
Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The AB-PMJAY health scheme
provides a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary
care hospitalisation across over 31,000 public and private empanelled hospitals
in India.
For early implementation of
these Budget provisions, the Ministry of Labour and Employment is soon
launching the scheme, and has asked platform workers to register on e-Shram
Portal for formal recognition and access to AB-PMJAY benefits.
“As a first step, Ministry
requests the Platform Workers to self-register themselves on e-Shram portal, so
that they may be considered for the benefits under the scheme at the earliest,”
it added.
The platform aggregators are
also requested to disseminate this information among the platform workers
engaged with them and facilitate them to register on e-Shram portal.
Meanwhile, over 30.58 crore
unorganised workers have been registered on the e-Shram Portal for receiving
benefits under various social welfare schemes of the government.
The e-Shram portal has
registered over 1.23 crore workers in 2024, averaging 33,700 enrolments per
day.
The e-Shram portal is meant to
register and support the unorganised workers by providing them with a Universal
Account Number (UAN) on a self-declaration basis.
The e-Shram portal has been
integrated with the National Career Service (NCS) Portal. An unorganised worker
can register on NCS using his or her Universal Account Number (UAN) and search
for suitable job opportunities. A link has also been provided to the workers
registered on the e-Shram portal to seamlessly register on the NCS.
