Joint Secretary & DG, Labour Welfare, Ministry of Labour & Employment, GoI. Ashutosh A T Pednekar attends ‘Stakeholders’ Consultation on Opportunities and Challenges of Gig and Platform Workers in India, in New Delhi
| Photo Credit:
Union Labour and Employment Ministry has set a June 22 deadline for platform businesses to transfer all workers data to the e-Shram portal. The move is in sync with the government initiating the process for establishing the ‘National Social Security Board for Gig and Platform Workers’ under the Code on Social Security to oversee governance and welfare for the growing gig economy.Emphasising this in his address at a event on the ‘Stakeholders Consultation on Opportunities and Challenges of Gig and Platform Workers in India’, Ashutosh AT Pednekar, Joint Secretary and Director General (Labour Welfare), stated that this sector is strategically very important for Indian economy.“Huge part of our work force is now getting absorbed in the gig and platform economy and the potential is immense. Today, around 1 crore of workers are employed in this sector, and the potential is to reach around 2.5 crore workers by the end of the decade,” said Pednekar. The event was organised by FICCI-AIOE, jointly with International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday.The Joint Secretary stated that the e-Shram portal provides the database of the registered aggregators which helps in understanding on real time basis the benefits a worker can or has availed. “Just like the UPI and Aadhaar changed the digital landscape in India, the e-Shram has the potential of changing the way the benefits are given to workers along with the portability of benefits, which is a challenge worldwide including India, can be addressed through the portal. We have a deadline till 22nd of June before which the platforms have to ensure that all data of workers is transferred on the e-Shram portal and we are working on very tight timeline,” he noted.He also outlined steps taken by the government including notification of rules on the Code on Social Security along with three Labour Codes on May 8. “We are in the process of operationalizing the Code basis the rules through various mechanisms like the National Social Security Board for Gig and Platform workers which is being operationalised. The Board will look at unorganized workers,” he added.Social security schemesAccording to him, the government is also in the process of operationalising various social security schemes for platform workers related to accident benefits, and maternity benefits, among others. The government has mandated the new code to ensure basic social security measures are given to the workers as a part of the protection coverage. “We are in the process of creating various schemes and engaging with a number of fund managers to ensure the schemes are operationalised,” he informed.Michiko Miyamoto, Director, ILO DWT for South Asia and Country Office for India, said that India’s platform economy has moved rapidly from the margins to the mainstream of economic activity. “Platform work has created new opportunities for income generation, flexibility, entrepreneurship and labour-market participation. The platform economy can contribute meaningfully to India’s growth and to the broader vision of a Viksit Bharat,” she added.Miyamoto, however, stressed the challenge now is in the implementation of social security and suggested to keep registration systems simple and contributions fair for the benefit of platform workers. “India has acknowledged that workers in new forms of work must be visible within systems of protection. The challenge now is implementation. Social protection must be practical, portable and accessible. Registration systems must be simple and contributions must be fair,” she observed.Published on May 29, 2026
