The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) recently claimed that, with over 300 million workers registered, the e-Shram portal is the largest database of unorganised workers in the world. In view of the pathetic condition and exodus of migrant workers during the pandemic, the Supreme Court of India had directed the Union government to build a national database of workers. Subsequently, the e-Shram Portal was started by the MoL&E in May 2021 with the objective of creating a national database of this labour force.
However, the need to maintain the data of migrants and unorganised workers was identified and recommended much earlier. For instance, the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act (1979) mandated that every labour contractor obtain a licence from the specified authority and provide the particulars of interstate workers employed to the authorities. In 2007, the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector insisted upon a universal registration system for migrant workers. The Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act (2008) also had a provision for registering workers and issuing an identity card to them. Unfortunately, these recommendations and legal provisions never received adequate attention and for years, migrants and workers remained largely invisible.
Due to distress-driven high mobility, these precarious migrants — mainly seasonal and circular workers — face unique and intense challenges such as disenfranchisement, stigma, trafficking, lack of unionisation, poor access to public services, etc. This makes migrants the most vulnerable segment among the unorganised workforce, in urgent need of social protection. However, since its launch, the e-Shram portal has functioned merely as a “registration drive” for migrants and workers and has been surprisingly silent on their inclusion in social security. Not all e-Shram portal registrant workers receive social security benefits and entitlements. Last year, of 286 million registrants, 80 million migrant workers were excluded from ration cards and food security.
In this regard, the MoL&E recently launched the ‘One-Stop Solution’ (OSS) to provide seamless access to different social security schemes to e-Shram registrant migrants and workers. At the time of the launch in October, Mansukh L Mandaviya (Cabinet Minister, MoL&E) had stated that the OSS platform would function as a bridge, connecting unorganised workers and migrants, making the registration process more accessible and transparent, and connecting them to a wide range of social security and welfare initiatives. This will integrate crucial domains such as pension, insurance, credit, health, skill development, housing, and food security. As a part of the OSS, key welfare schemes such as One Nation One Ration Card, MGNREGA, National Social Assistance Programme, National Career Service, PM Shram Yogi Maandhan, etc., have been integrated with e-Shram. Other welfare schemes such as PM Matru Vandana Yojana, Shramik Suraksha Yojana of the Postal Department, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National, Urban Livelihoods Mission, etc., will be linked soon as well.
It is noteworthy that for the first time, the GoI and the concerned ministry seem serious about protecting the rights of unorganised workers and migrants and appear to be taking strategic steps. The OSS has an integrated approach to ensuring social security for millions of scattered and fragmented migrants and workers. However, there are specific concerns.
From the filed references on e-Shram registration, it was realised that many migrant unorganised workers face eligibility exclusion due to inadequate documentation and identity proofs. Some migrant workers don’t even have an Aadhaar card or ration card. Some don’t have permanent mobile phones, others lack permanent numbers, and sometimes the mobile number is not linked to their Aadhaar card. They remain non-eligible to register even at the e-Shram portal. In the absence of identity documents, the institutional mechanism of social security keeps them excluded. This is a significant barrier to the universalisation of access to social security.
According to recent data, female workers comprise 53.59 per cent of all registered workers on the e-Shram platform. This trend is a positive sign, given the labour market has deep-rooted, gendered structural inequalities. This demands specific steps towards bringing a gender-sensitive approach to social security programmes. A large proportion of unorganised workers are inter-state migrants. Their entitlements need to be protected and transferred across locations and states. Therefore, the MoL&E must look at the portability of welfare schemes through e-Shram and OSS. In this context, the role of the Code on Social Security must be examined.
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Migrant workers are not a homogeneous category — there is substantial socio-cultural, regional, demographic, and economic diversity. It is essential to map out migrants’ profiles in detail. Non-profit organisations and policymakers have repeatedly recommended disaggregating migration and worker data to frame comprehensive and equitable inclusion policies. However, the MoL&E is silent on this aspect. Another concern is that e-Shram should not be a “freebie” and “subsidy burden”. Migrants and workers must be seen as “assets” and focus should be given more on human development outcomes by carefully designing every scheme.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states that poorly governed migration can negatively impact development. Migrants and unorganised workers are the fuel of the Indian economy, awaiting their due recognition and rights. The goal of Viksit Bharat cannot be achieved without well-designed social protection systems for the meaningful inclusion of the unorganised and migrant workforce. The e-Shram and OSS are steps towards this, but there is still a long way to go.
Rajan is chair and Rajput is post-doctoral fellow at the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
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