e-Shram portal and Unorganised workers

What is it?

The pandemic showed us how vulnerable the unorganised workers in the country were and the inability to provide them with relief packages and welfare schemes. In a step to solve this massive issue that confronts us, the Ministry for Labour and Employment has launched the e-Shram portal to register the 38 crore unorganised workers such as construction labourers, migrant workforce, street vendors, and domestic workers, among others. 

Features of e-Shram Portal

The workers can register themselves under the portal free of cost. Upon registration, they will use an eSHRAM card with a unique Universal Account Number (UAN). Once registered, the workers are automatically eligible for the various social security schemes, including a 2 lakh accidental insurance coverage.  

What do we think?

Reverse migration of the unorganised workers was a sore sight that we witnessed during both lockdowns. To ensure a similar scenario does not arise as the pandemic is here to stay, it is vital to accelerate registering the workers.