New Delhi- In a move to provide much-needed social security benefits to platform workers, Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, chaired a meeting with representatives from various Platform Workers' Associations in New Delhi. The meeting saw discussions on the challenges faced by gig and platform workers and the government's efforts to extend social security protections to this growing workforce.

Emphasizing the importance of direct worker input, Dr. Mandaviya stated that the government is committed to developing robust social security mechanisms for platform workers. He acknowledged the work done by platform worker associations in advocating for their rights and highlighted the government's proactive approach in integrating these workers into existing social security schemes.

A key announcement made by the Minister was the formation of a committee by the Ministry tasked with developing a framework for providing social security and welfare benefits to gig and platform workers. This committee will gather perspectives from all relevant stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of this sector.

Dr. Mandaviya also spoke about the e-Shram portal, emphasizing the Ministry's efforts to onboard platform workers onto the portal. He mentioned the advisory issued to platform aggregators to register on the e-Shram portal and revealed that the testing phase with major aggregators has been completed. The aggregator module on the portal is set to be launched by the Ministry shortly.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, stressed the importance of registering all platform workers on the e-Shram portal to facilitate the provision of social security benefits.

The meeting saw participation from Platform Workers' Associations representing workers across India, including Rajasthan, Assam, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Delhi-NCR. The associations offered insights and suggestions for ensuring social security coverage for platform workers. The discussions held in the meeting are expected to contribute to policy formulations aimed at safeguarding the interests of platform workers and providing them with stability and support in their professional lives.