There is great news for lakhs of gig workers working on app-based platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, Ola, Uber, Blinkit and Zepto. Now they will get legal identity along with all the benefits of pension and social security. The Union Labour Ministry has directed all app-based companies to register their employees on the ‘e-Shram’ portal and complete all the procedures by June 21. According to a report in the Times of India, the Labour Ministry has issued these strict instructions after issuing new rules under the ‘Code on Social Security’. According to this rule, it is mandatory for gig and platform workers to register within 45 days.
Get Unique National ID:
The main objective of this step of the government is to create a large database of workers associated with digital platforms. This will enable the government to start various welfare schemes like health insurance, life insurance, pension scheme for them. Along with this, they will be provided with a unique national ID, which will make their portability easy and give a special identity to this unorganized sector. The ministry has warned that strict action will be taken against the concerned institutions under the ‘Social Security Code’ if this process is not completed by June 21.
Who will get this benefit?
According to the new rules, only those who have worked for at least 90 days in a year in any company or on various platforms, for a total of 120 days, will be considered as gig or platform workers. In addition, companies will have to provide real-time data on the joining and leaving of new workers on a daily basis on the central portal. Sheikh Salauddin, co-founder of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), said that earlier many companies did not take this government directive seriously. But, now these companies should follow the law responsibly. Workers cannot wait any longer for their social security.
