look news india
If you also work for Zomato, Swiggy, Ola, Uber or any other online platform, then this news will bring a smile on your face. The Narendra Modi government at the Center is preparing to give a big gift to crores of gig and platform workers of the country. The government is taking rapid steps to bring these employees under the ambit of social security like traditional employed people.
Disclosing this mega plan, Ashutosh Pednekar, Joint Secretary and Director General (Labor Welfare), Ministry of Labor and Employment, said that the government is working on a special welfare scheme for gig workers. Under this, many excellent facilities, from accidental insurance to loans for children’s education, will be provided directly to the workers.
‘Social Security Fund’ will provide economic strength
The government has given green signal to the formation of ‘National Social Security Board for Gig and Platform Workers’ to implement this scheme. This board will make policies especially for the welfare of the people working in this sector. Along with this, a dedicated ‘Social Security Fund’ is also being prepared. Through this fund, the government will help the workers in collaboration with fund managers and aggregator companies.
The future of gig workers will be secured with these 7 big facilities
Under this new initiative of the government, the following important benefits will be given to gig and platform workers:
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Accidental Insurance: Safety from accidents occurring while working on the road.
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Health Facility: Medical assistance for treatment of illness.
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Maternity Support: Financial assistance to female delivery partners during pregnancy.
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Safety for the elderly: Old-age protection or pension arrangements to secure the future.
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Cash Assistance: Financial assistance directly into bank account in times of need.
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Education Loan: Easy loan facility for the education of workers and their children.
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Help for funeral: Financial support to the family for funeral expenses in case of any untoward incident.
Companies will have to complete this important work by June 22
The government has taken strict steps to ensure that the benefits of this historic scheme reach the rightful beneficiaries directly and without any delay. All platform and aggregator companies have been directed to link the complete data of their employees with the ‘e-Shram’ portal by June 22.
After this step, the database of the companies will be directly linked to the government portal, through which ‘real-time tracking’ of the benefits provided to the employees can be done. Apart from this, the workers themselves will be able to see through a mobile app what facilities they are getting and what rights they have.
After all, who are gig and platform workers?
Many people are confused about which people fall into this category. Understand it in simple words like this:
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Gig Workers: These are those employees who do not join a company as traditional salaried or permanent employees, but work as freelancers, independent contractors or on a part-time project basis.
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Platform Workers: These are people who provide services directly to customers through a mobile app or online platform. For example, drivers of Ola-Uber, professionals providing home services through Urban Company or delivery partners of Swiggy-Zomato fall in this category.
The number will reach 2.5 crore by the end of the decade
This is the first time in the history of India that gig and platform workers are being given the legal right to social security under the new labor codes. According to an estimate, currently about 1 crore people are working in this sector in India. Considering the rapid pace of the digital economy, the government estimates that by the end of this decade the number of gig workers in the country may increase to beyond 25 million. This is the reason why the government is showing so much readiness to secure their future.
