In a significant step towards improving the conditions of unorganised and migrant workers in India, the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoL&E) launched the e-Shram portal in May 2021. Following the Supreme Court’s directive after the pandemic-induced crisis exposed the plight of migrant workers, this initiative aimed to establish a comprehensive database of over 300 million unorganised workers, making it the largest of its kind globally. However, its journey, achievements, and shortcomings reflect the complex challenges of implementing social protection mechanisms for India’s diverse and often invisible workforce.
The necessity of a national database was evident long before the pandemic, but previous measures like the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act (1979), the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (2007), and the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act (2008) failed to gain traction. Despite provisions for registering workers and issuing identification cards, migrant and unorganised workers remained neglected. This was primarily due to low awareness, insufficient institutional will, and systemic challenges like high mobility, lack of unionisation, and disenfranchisement.
What Makes Migrant and Unorganised Workers Vulnerable?
Migrant workers, particularly seasonal and circular migrants, are highly vulnerable due to their distress-driven mobility and precarious working conditions. This segment, forming a substantial proportion of the workforce, faces challenges such as exclusion from social services, limited unionisation, stigma, and trafficking. During the pandemic, the massive exodus of migrant workers shed light on these vulnerabilities, bringing urgency to the development of comprehensive policies.
The e-Shram portal, while significant, initially operated largely as a registration drive. Of the 286 million workers registered by 2022, around 80 million migrant workers were excluded from essential benefits like ration cards and food security. This reflected gaps in ensuring universal access to entitlements. Challenges like inadequate documentation—such as lack of Aadhaar cards, ration cards, or permanent mobile numbers—further complicated the registration process. Additionally, linking mobile numbers to Aadhaar often proved insurmountable for many, leaving them excluded even from basic benefits.
How Does the e-Shram Portal Aim to Integrate Social Security?
To address these gaps, the MoL&E launched the One-Stop Solution (OSS) platform in October 2023, aiming to provide seamless access to social security schemes for registered workers. The OSS seeks to integrate crucial domains such as pensions, insurance, health, housing, skill development, and food security, making the process more accessible and transparent. Notably, it incorporates flagship welfare schemes like One Nation One Ration Card, MGNREGA, the PM Shram Yogi Maandhan pension scheme, and others.
This integrated approach demonstrates a shift towards structured welfare systems, ensuring that workers’ entitlements are portable across locations and states. This portability is vital for interstate migrants, who often lose access to benefits due to their mobility. Moreover, the integration of additional schemes like the PM Matru Vandana Yojana and the National Urban Livelihoods Mission underscores a broader commitment to holistic welfare.
However, despite these efforts, significant challenges persist. Female workers comprise 53.59% of the registered workforce on the e-Shram platform, signaling progress towards addressing gender-based inequalities in labour markets. Yet, the approach still requires greater gender sensitivity and targeted measures to ensure meaningful inclusion. For instance, many women face compounded disadvantages in both employment opportunities and access to social security due to deeply rooted societal biases.
Why Is Migrant and Worker Data Vital for Policy Making?
One of the recurring recommendations from experts has been the disaggregation of migrant and worker data to better address their socio-cultural, regional, and demographic diversities. Non-profit organisations and policymakers advocate detailed profiling of migrant workers to frame targeted, equitable policies. Unfortunately, the MoL&E remains silent on this critical aspect. Instead, current frameworks tend to generalise migrants’ issues, potentially leading to uneven benefits distribution.
Moreover, there is growing concern that initiatives like the e-Shram portal and OSS may eventually be perceived as “freebies” rather than rights. Migrant and unorganised workers are often treated as liabilities rather than assets. A shift in perspective is needed—focusing on human development outcomes and recognising this workforce as an engine driving economic growth.
What Role Can Social Security Play in Achieving Development Goals?
As articulated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, poor governance of migration can hinder national development efforts. Migrants and unorganised workers represent the backbone of many economic activities but remain unrecognised and undervalued. While the e-Shram portal and OSS mark significant steps toward inclusion, gaps in execution threaten to derail progress.
For instance, many workers still fall through the cracks due to administrative bottlenecks, exclusionary eligibility criteria, and lack of awareness about entitlements. Strategies to address these issues must include community-driven outreach, streamlining documentation requirements, and leveraging technology to ensure equity and transparency.
Additionally, policies need to prioritise portability of social security benefits and greater accountability in implementation. Migrant workers, despite their fragmented existence, have the potential to transform India’s economic landscape if given the recognition, security, and dignity they deserve.
What Lies Ahead for the e-Shram Portal and Social Welfare in India?
While the launch of OSS and the growing database through e-Shram are promising indicators, the road to comprehensive social security for migrant and unorganised workers is far from complete. The Government of India, in collaboration with state authorities and non-profits, needs to focus on creating accessible, transparent, and inclusive social welfare systems. Migrant workers are not a monolith; their diverse challenges require nuanced and context-specific solutions.
The inclusion of gender-sensitive programmes, targeted regional strategies, and robust public awareness campaigns are critical next steps. Similarly, continued community participation, as seen in the pandemic response, will be instrumental in bridging gaps. As India strives towards its vision of Viksit Bharat, the meaningful inclusion of its unorganised workforce will not only uplift vulnerable communities but also fuel the nation’s socio-economic growth. The e-Shram portal, when coupled with OSS, can be a game-changer—if implemented effectively and inclusively.