Centre launches e-Shram portal to create a database of unorganized workers
The Union government on Thursday launched the e-Shram portal – a database of workers employed in the country’s unorganized sector. The portal is aimed at registering and maintaining the record of about 38 crore workers in the unorganized sector, such as construction laborers, street vendors, domestic workers and other categories. On Tuesday, Union Minister for labor and employment Bhupender Yadav launched the logo of the National Database of Unorganized workers (e-Shram) portal.
How to register
Officials explained that workers can easily register themselves to the portal using their Aadhar card numbers and bank account details. They will further be required to fill in other personal details such as date of birth, mobile number, and address for completing the registration.
Following registration, they will be issued an e-Shram card which will contain a 12-digit unique number to help them access various social security schemes and benefits offered by the central government. Workers’ registration will be done in coordination with Labour Ministry, state governments, trade unions, and other relevant authorities to ensure the smooth operation of the portal.
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Addressing the launch event of the logo earlier, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav stated that targeted identification of unorganized workers is a much-needed step, adding that the portal will create a national database of their information. He underlined that the e-Shram portal will help in effectively delivering the benefits of welfare schemes launched by the Centre directly to the doorsteps of unorganized workers, highlighting that targeted delivery has been a key focus of the Modi government’s schemes and vision.
The e-Shram portal is another key step towards achieving this targeted delivery mission and a game-changer for the social security of millions of unorganized workers, the union minister added.
Modi government’s initiatives
After the e-Shram portal, the government will also launch a national toll-free number (14434) to provide assistance to workers and resolve their queries related to registration on the portal.
The government fast-tracked the launch of the portal after facing criticism by the Supreme Court over delay in setting up the platform for the welfare of unorganized workers in the country. The finance ministry approved the establishment of the unorganized workers’ database in November 2020, directing the labor ministry and National Informatics Centre to carry out the task.
Among various benefits, the database of unorganized workers will facilitate better monitoring and supervision of government policies at the grassroots levels.
According to a recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are approximately 400 million unorganized workers employed across various sectors in the country. This initiative is particularly crucial at a time when workers are attempting to overcome the repercussions of months of lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of workers suffered job losses and pay cuts due to the lockdown during the pandemic.
