e-Shram Portal (Governance)
e-Shram Portal (Governance)
Why In News:
The e-Shram portal, launched on 26 August 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, completes five years in 2026.
What is e-Shram?
e-Shram hosts the National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW), an Aadhaar-authenticated register of informal sector workers.
Every registered worker receives a 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN), which is permanent and portable across states and occupations.
Eligibility conditions: the worker must be aged 16 to 59 years, must be engaged in the unorganised sector, must not be a member of EPFO or ESIC, and must not be an income tax payer.
The portal has been upgraded into a One-Stop Solution that integrates welfare, employment, skilling and pension services in one interface.
Coverage and Key Numbers
31.89 crore unorganised workers registered as of the fifth anniversary.
Women constitute 54.28 per cent of registrations, a notable feature given that female labour force participation is otherwise low.
Over 11.5 lakh gig and platform workers have registered, following the extension of e-Shram to the platform economy.
Occupational coverage includes migrant workers, construction workers, domestic workers, agricultural labourers, street vendors, and gig and platform workers.
e-Shram and Digital Public Infrastructure
e-Shram is an example of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) because it creates a digital identity and database that can facilitate access to multiple government services.
It complements other digital platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker, forming part of India's broader digital public infrastructure ecosystem.
Status of the Unorganised Sector in India
The Ministry of Labour and Employment broadly classifies the unorganised labour force into four major categories:
Based on Occupation: Small and marginal farmers, landless agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, fishermen, people engaged in animal husbandry, beedi workers, etc.
Based on Nature of Employment: Attached agricultural labourers, bonded labourers, migrant workers, contract workers and casual labourers.
Specially Distressed Categories: Toddy tappers, scavengers, head-load carriers, drivers of animal-drawn vehicles, loaders and unloaders.
Service Sector: Midwives, domestic workers, fishermen and fisherwomen, barbers, vegetable and fruit vendors, newspaper vendors, etc.