The national database of informal sector workers — e-Shram portal — has crossed the 30-crore registrations milestone in a period of three years.

What is the purpose of e-Shram portal?

• The Ministry of Labour & Employment launched the e-Shram portal on August 26, 2021.

• The ministry developed the portal for creating a national database of unorganised workers, which is seeded with Aadhaar. 

• Unorganised sector comprises establishment/units which are engaged in production/sale of goods/services and employs less than 10 workers. These units are not covered under ESIC & EPFO.

• Any worker who is a home-based worker, self-employed worker or a wage worker working in the unorganised sector and not a member of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) or Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is called an unorganised worker.

• The portal will have details of name, occupation, address, educational qualification, skill types and family details for optimum realisation of their employability and extend the benefits of the social security schemes to them.

• After registration at the portal, the unorganised workers shall receive a digital e-Shram card and they can update their profiles/particulars through portal or mobile app. 

• This registration would facilitate delivery and accessibility to crucial welfare programmes and various entitlements meant for the workers in the unorganised sector. 

• They will have a Universal Account Number (on e-Shram Card) that will be acceptable across the country and they will not be required to register at different places for obtaining social security benefits. 

• If a worker is registered at the e-Shram portal and meets with an accident, he/she will be eligible for Rs 2 lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs 1 lakh on partial disability. 

A one-stop solution for unorganised workers

• The government envisages to establish the e-Shram portal as a ‘one-stop solution’ for the country’s unorganised workers.

• During the Budget Speech 2024-25, the finance minister announced that a comprehensive integration of e-Shram portal with other portals will facilitate such a ‘one-stop solution’.

• This initiative aims to facilitate access of various social security schemes being implemented by different ministries/departments to unorganised workers through the e-Shram portal.

• It will serve as a facilitator to ensure seamless access of various government schemes to the unorganised workers.

• This will help in creating awareness of the schemes meant for unorganised workers, while ensuring saturation of the schemes through identification of left-out potential beneficiaries.

• As part of ‘eShram — One Stop Solution’ project, the ministry has been working to integrate major schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Ayushman Bharat  Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), Ration Card scheme, etc for the benefit of the unorganised workers.

• A two-way integration of Skill India Digital Hub and e-Shram will help registrants to seamlessly register on either portal and access the services being offered by these portals.

• To ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes reach all workers at the grassroots level, it is important to onboard all unorganised workers, including health workers like ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and those in working in villages/Gram Panchayats/ Sabhas/ Parishads, building and construction projects including MGNREGA workers and other similar workers.

• For this purpose, regular inter-ministerial meetings are being held by the ministry with senior officers from various ministries/departments, including Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Department of Fisheries (DoF), National Health Authority (NHA), State BOCW boards, etc.

• Respective Ministries/Departments have been requested to integrate their schemes with eShram portal for the comprehensive development of the unorganised workers.

• The Ministry of Labour and Employment has also approached different Ministries like Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), etc to register the unorganised workers under their ambit on e-Shram portal, at the earliest.

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