New Delhi: The Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the constitution of the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers under the Code on Social Security, paving the way for their inclusion in the country’s formal social security framework.
According to an official statement, the Boards will work towards designing, monitoring and recommending welfare schemes for different categories of unorganised workers, including gig and platform workers.
The government said the move aims to bridge the social security gap for millions of workers employed in the informal sector and the growing digital platform economy.
The Boards will be presided over by the Union Minister for Labour and Employment and will include representatives from Central and State Governments, aggregator companies, employers, civil society organisations, workers’ unions and associations representing gig and platform workers.
The broad-based representation is intended to bring different stakeholders together in framing and reviewing welfare measures for workers across various sectors.
As per the official statement, the National Social Security Boards will recommend suitable social security schemes to the Central Government for different sections of unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers. They will also advise the government on matters relating to the administration of the Code on Social Security.
The Boards will monitor the implementation of social welfare schemes administered by the Central Government, review record-keeping functions at the State level and examine expenditure from the relevant funds and accounts.
The government has also prescribed that the Boards will meet at least three times a year and follow the rules of procedure laid down by the Central Government for conducting their business.
The constitution of the Boards comes amid growing attention to the welfare needs of gig and platform workers engaged in services such as food delivery, e-commerce, transportation and other digital-based activities.
These workers form an expanding part of the country’s workforce and often operate outside conventional employer-employee arrangements. The new institutional framework is intended to provide a platform for addressing their social security requirements alongside those of traditional unorganised workers.
The Boards will also undertake other functions assigned to them by the Central Government from time to time, according to the statement.