New Delhi: Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a crucial meeting with representatives from Platform Workers’ Associations in New Delhi today. The meeting also saw the presence of Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Secretary of Labour & Employment, and senior officials of the ministry.
The meeting focused on addressing the challenges faced by platform workers—those employed in the gig economy—and discussed the government’s efforts to extend social security protections to this growing workforce. Dr. Mandaviya emphasized the importance of incorporating feedback directly from Platform Workers’ Associations to design comprehensive mechanisms that safeguard the workers’ welfare.
“Platform workers are a vital part of the economy, contributing significantly to the digital platform sector,” Dr. Mandaviya said. He further announced the formation of a Committee by the Ministry to develop a framework aimed at providing social security and welfare benefits to gig and platform workers. The Committee will gather inputs from all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the proposed framework is inclusive and effective.
The e-Shram portal, a key government initiative, was a major point of discussion during the meeting. Dr. Mandaviya discussed ongoing efforts to ensure platform workers are registered on the portal, which would allow them access to social security schemes. He revealed that the testing phase with major platform aggregators has been completed, and the aggregator module is set to be launched by the Ministry soon.
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, stressed the importance of registering all platform workers on the e-Shram portal to ensure that they receive the necessary social security benefits.
Platform Workers’ Associations representing various states, including Rajasthan, Assam, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Delhi-NCR, attended the meeting both in person and virtually. These associations provided valuable suggestions for extending social security coverage to platform workers.