Over 4 crore unorganised workers registered on e-Shram portal

The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Sunday said the number registrations has crossed 4-crore mark on e-Shram portal in less than two months of its launch.

According to a labour ministry statement, workers in diverse occupations such as construction, apparel manufacturing, fishing, gig and platform work, street vending, domestic work, agriculture and allied, transport sector have registered on the portal.

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In some of these sectors, an overwhelming proportion of migrant workers are also engaged, it stated.

All workers in the unorganised sector, including migrant ones, can now take the benefits of various social security and employment-based schemes through registration on the e-Shram portal.

As per latest data, 4.09 crore workers have registered on the portal. Of these, around 50.02 per cent beneficiaries are female and 49.98 per cent are male.

It is encouraging that equivalent proportion of men and women have been part of this drive, it stated.

There has been weekly improvement in the registrations by gender, with men and women workers registering at comparable proportions.

As per the data, the states of Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are at the fore front of this initiative with highest number of registrations.

However, putting this number into perspective must be with caution. Smaller states and union territories (UTs) understandably have lesser number of registered workforce, it explained.

Also, this drive needs to gain momentum in states and UTs such as Meghalaya, Manipur, Goa and Chandigarh.

This registration would facilitate delivery and accessibility to crucial welfare programmes and various entitlements meant for the workers in the unorganised sector and employment. For online registrations, individual workers can use e-Shram's mobile application or the website.

They can also visit the Common Service Centres (CSCs), State Seva Kendra, Labour Facilitation Centres, select post offices of the Department of Posts, Digital Seva Kendras, to register themselves.

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

They will have a Universal Account Number (on eSHRAM Card) that will be acceptable across the country and now 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 one lakh on partial disability.

The largest number of workers registered is from agriculture and construction, given the sheer volume of these two sectors in employment generation in India.

Besides, workers from diverse and different occupations like domestic and household workers, apparel sector workers, automobile and transport sector workers, electronics and hard wareworkers, capital goods workers, education, healthcare, retail, tourism and hospitality, food industry and many more have registered at this portal.

Around 65.68 per cent of these registered workers are in the age group of 16-40 years and 34.32 per cent are in the age group of 40 years and above.

The social compositions of these workers include Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and General Castes with almost 43 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively from these categories and 23 per cent and 27 per cent being from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

A substantial proportion of registration has been facilitated by the CSC as depicted in the graph above. Interestingly, in certain states like Kerala and Goa and in North-East India, Meghalaya and Manipur a greater proportion of individuals have self-registered in the portal.

Similar is the case with most Union Territories like Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar and Ladakh, it added.

This could be attributed to higher levels of literacy and technology usage in these states. However, according to the latest updates an overwhelming proportion of workers (77 per cent) have registered themselves through CSCs, the ministry said.

There has been a week on week improvement in the outreach of the CSCs as indicated by the figure above.

Therefore, outreach of the CSCs emerges to be a crucial factor in lesser facilitated areas. Workers are encouraged to visit their nearest CSCs to register themselves at the portal and take advantage of this exercise which would lead to greater portability and last mile delivery of various welfare programmes.

Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav and other officials are holding several interactions with the unorganised sector workers and leaders of trade union and media, to sensitise them about the features and benefits of the e-SHRAM portal, so as to encourage the workers to register themselves through available modes and take the benefits of several social security and welfare schemes.