☀️ Schemes
Centre sets up national social security boards for gig, platform and unorganised workers
In 60 seconds: The Labour Ministry has notified National Social Security Boards for unorganised, gig and platform workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020. Chaired by Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the boards include the Centre, states, app-based companies, employers, unions and worker associations. They will recommend and monitor welfare schemes for workers such as delivery riders and cab drivers, and must meet at least three times a year.
Why it matters
Gig workers usually get no pension, paid leave or health cover from the apps they work for. A formal board gives them a seat at the table where welfare schemes are designed.
Explain it simply
The delivery boy who brings your chai order has no office, no boss's cabin and no PF slip. The new board is meant to make sure someone plans for his old age and accidents.
The 3-minute read
What happened
The boards will advise the Centre on running the Code, monitor central welfare schemes for these workers, review record-keeping by states and examine spending from the relevant funds and accounts.
Background
App-based work in delivery, transport and other services has grown fast, but these workers are not treated as employees, so laws like the provident fund do not cover them automatically.
How it works
The boards can only recommend and monitor. Actual benefits, such as insurance or pensions, come only when the government notifies and funds a specific scheme.
What's next
The boards will hold their first meetings and start suggesting schemes. Workers and unions will watch whether these quickly turn into funded benefits.
What it means for you
If you or someone you know earns through a delivery, ride or home-services app, schemes from these boards could bring insurance, health or old-age support. Registering on e-Shram is the first step.
Key numbers
- 3: Minimum board meetings a year
- 2020: Year of the Code on Social Security
- 4: Labour codes now in force
Both sides
- Labour Ministry: The boards will help design targeted welfare schemes for millions of informal and platform workers.
- Critics: The boards are only advisory, and gig workers still lack the rights of regular employees.
Key terms explained
- Gig worker
- A person who earns from short tasks or jobs outside a regular employer-employee relationship.
- Code on Social Security
- The 2020 law that combines social security rules and covers gig, platform and unorganised workers.
The story so far
- 2020: The Code on Social Security, 2020 defines gig and platform workers in law. The Code on Social Security brought gig and platform workers, such as delivery riders and cab drivers on apps, into labour law for the first time and provided for a national board.
- 30 Oct 2026: The Labour Ministry notifies National Social Security Boards for these workers. The boards, chaired by Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, bring together governments, app companies, employers, unions and worker groups.
- Today: Labour Ministry notifies social security boards for gig and unorganised workers
Exam notes (UPSC, SSC, Banking, PSC)
- The Code on Social Security, 2020 is one of four labour codes that replaced 29 central labour laws.
- A platform worker is a gig worker who finds work through an online platform; every platform worker is a gig worker, but not the other way round.
- The e-Shram portal, launched in 2021, is a national database of unorganised workers.
- Social security is on the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule.
Likely exam question: Discuss the challenges in extending social security to gig and platform workers in India. How far does the Code on Social Security, 2020 address them?