Explainer - Social security coverage in India

• India’s social protection coverage increased to over 100 crore citizens in 2026, according to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

• In October 2025, India was conferred with the prestigious International Social Security Association (ISSA) Award 2025 for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Social Security’ in Malaysia for the expansion of social security coverage from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025, reaching over 94.3 crore citizens as of 2025. 

• Mandaviya said social protection coverage has grown to over 100 crore citizens (68.4 per cent) in 2026.

• The new milestone was formally recognised by the ILO’s Director-General in a video message to the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Hyderabad on July 15, held under India’s BRICS chairship 2026.

• It means that 100 crore people are now covered under at least one social protection benefit.

Understanding Social Security

• As per International Labour Organisation (ILO), social security is the protection that a society provides to individuals and families to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security. 

• It is especially important in times of old age, sickness, unemployment, disability, maternity, work injury or the loss of a breadwinner. 

• Defined in ILO conventions and UN instruments, social security is recognised as a basic human right.

• It is broadly defined as a system of contribution-based health, pension and unemployment protection, along with tax-financed social benefits.

• India has a wide-ranging social security system comprising social insurance and social assistance schemes both at central and state levels. 

• These include welfare payments, mandatory social insurance with contributions from employer and employee, and other employer-based benefits. 

• In addition to these, there are also schemes providing in kind benefits like food, health, shelter security, etc. 

• India’s expansion in social security coverage has been enabled by a strong foundation of digital and financial inclusion. 

• Bank account coverage under Jan Dhan, combined with Aadhaar-enabled identification and the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, has enabled benefits to reach the intended recipients swiftly and transparently. 

• Complementing this, there is a wide array of social protection programmes.

Some key programmes:

• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM): It is a government of India pension scheme for unorganised sector workers aged 18-40, earning 15,000 or less monthly. It offers a voluntary, contributory pension of Rs 3,000 monthly after age 60, with an equal government match and family pension options.

• POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment): To address the challenge of malnutrition, Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan and Scheme for adolescent girls have been subsumed under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0). It is a Centrally Sponsored scheme where the responsibility for implementation of various activities lies with the states and UTs. 

• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): It is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission (NHM) that provides cash assistance to pregnant women to promote institutional delivery, aiming to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. It focuses on BPL households, ST/SC women, and low performing states, connecting them with ASHA workers.

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN): It is a central sector scheme launched in 2019 providing Rs 6,000 annually to eligible farmer families in three equal installments of 2,000 every four months, directly deposited into bank accounts.

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): It is a central maternity benefit scheme providing partial wage compensation to pregnant and lactating mothers for their first living child. It offers Rs 5,000 in two installments via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to improve maternal nutrition and health, with an additional 6,000 for a second girl child.

• Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY): It is a government-backed pension scheme for senior citizens implemented by LIC to provide guaranteed returns of 7.4 per cent to 8 per cent per annum (depending on the purchase year) for 10 years. It offers monthly, quarterly, or yearly pension options for a maximum investment of 15 lakh, available online and offline.

• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): It is a government-funded health scheme in India providing up to Rs 5 lakh per family/year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. It offers cashless, paperless access to treatment at empaneled public and private hospitals for economically vulnerable families, covering pre-existing diseases and all family members regardless of size. 

• National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP): The social security programme of the Ministry of Rural Development is for the most vulnerable persons of society living below poverty line, both in rural and urban areas. Presently, NSAP is a 100 per cent funded centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) covering persons belonging to families living below poverty line (BPL).

• Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) provides mandatory social security coverage in the form of provident fund, pension and deposit-linked life insurance to Workers employed in establishments engaging 20 or more workers. 

• The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing various schemes such as centrally sponsored scholarship schemes namely ‘Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes & Others’ and ‘Post Matric Scholarships, the students belonging to Scheduled Castes are provided scholarships for studies in India’ (PMS-SC) through state governments/UT administrations.

• In Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePWD), under Assistance to Persons with Disabilities for Purchase/Fitting of Aids/Appliances (ADIP) Scheme, the funds are released to various Implementing Agencies to assist the eligible persons with disabilities (divyangjan) in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances that can promote their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation by reducing the effects of disabilities and enhancing their economic potential.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)