e-Shram Portal

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched the e-Shram Portal for creating a National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW), which will be seeded with Aadhaar. 

It is the first-ever national database of unorganised workers including migrant workers, construction workers, gig and platform workers, etc. The Portal will prove to be a huge boost towards the last-mile delivery of the welfare schemes for crores of unorganized workers. 

The table given below mentions a few important details about eShram:

Nodal Ministry	Ministry of Labour and Employment
Launch Date	August 26, 2021
Minister for Labour and Employment (August 2021)	Shri Bhupender Yadav
Official Website	http://nduw-webapp.azurewebsites.net
Logo (Launched on August 24, 2021)
Who are Unorganised Workers?	Any worker who is a home based-worker, self-employed worker or a wage worker in the unorganised sector including a worker in the organised sector who is not a member of ESIC or EPFO or not a Govt. employee is called an Unorganised Worker.

e-Shram Portal [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

The information provided in this article can prove to be helpful for aspirants preparing for the upcoming IAS Exam. The objectives, significance and eligibility details of the scheme have been discussed below. 

Aspirants can also get acquainted with the updated List of Government Schemes in India at the linked article. 

About eShram – Key Points

• It is for the first time in the country that a system has been developed to register 38 crore Unorganised Workers
• The e-Shram portal will cover all unorganised workers of the nation and help link them to social security schemes of the Government of India
• Under the scheme, Rs 2.0 Lakh Accidental Insurance cover will be provided to every registered (on eShram portal) unorganised worker
  • If a worker is registered on the eShram portal and meets with an accident, he will be eligible for Rs 2.0 Lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs 1.0 lakh on partial disability
• Every registered unorganised worker shall be issued an eSHRAM card with a unique Universal Account Number (UAN) and will be able to access the benefits of the various social security schemes through this Card anywhere anytime

A few related links are given below for candidates reference, with regard to this scheme:

Objectives of the Portal

Given below are the objectives of launching a specified portal for unorganised workers in the country:

• Creation of a centralized database of all unorganized workers (UWs) including Construction Workers, Migrant Workers, Gig and Platform workers, Street Vendors, Domestic Workers, Agriculture Workers, etc.
• To improve the implementation efficiency of the social security services for the unorganized workers
• Portability of the social security and welfare benefits to the migrant and construction workers.
• Providing a comprehensive database to Central and State Governments for tackling any National Crises like COVID-19 in future.
• Easy to share information with the various stakeholders such as Ministries/ Departments/ Boards/ Agencies/ Organisations of the Central & State Governments

eShram Portal – Eligibility Criteria

A set of eligibility requirements have been released by the Ministry and only the eligible workers, who fulfil all the criteria can register themselves on the portal.  

• An unorganised worker between the age of 16 and 59 years
• The worker must not be a member of EPFO/ESIC or NPS

The Way Forward

The formation of eShram portal came after the Supreme Court directed the Government to complete the registration process of unorganized workers so that they can avail the welfare benefits given under various government schemes.

Once the eligible workers in the unorganized sector are registered under the portal they shall be able to easily access the benefits under the various social welfare schemes and also, register themselves for the accidental insurance policy released by the government. 

Various other initiatives have been taken for the development and growth of the unorganized workers like the 

• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM)
• PM SVANidhi Scheme
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, and many more 

e-Shram Portal [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

For more details about the upcoming civil services exam, candidates can visit BYJU’S.