Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, chaired an important meeting with representatives from
Platform Workers
' Associations in New Delhi on Thursday.
Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, the Secretary of Labour & Employment, along with senior officers of the Ministry, were also present.
According to the Ministry of Labour & Employment, "The discussion focused on addressing the pressing challenges faced by platform workers and the Government's ongoing efforts to extend essential
social security
protections to this emerging workforce."
Dr. Mandaviya stressed the importance of incorporating input directly from Platform Workers' Associations to develop robust and comprehensive mechanisms for their social security. He acknowledged the commendable work done by various associations in advocating for the well-being of platform workers.
The Minister highlighted that the Government is actively exploring multiple avenues to integrate these workers into existing social security schemes.
He reaffirmed the Government's commitment to establishing a safety net for platform workers, who play a crucial role in the economy through their contributions to the digital platform sector. He announced that the Ministry has formed a committee to develop a 'Framework for providing social security and welfare benefits to gig and platform workers,' aiming to gather perspectives from all relevant stakeholders.
Speaking about the e-Shram portal, Dr. Mandaviya outlined the Ministry's efforts to ensure the onboarding of platform workers onto the portal. He mentioned the advisory issued to platform aggregators to register on the e-Shram portal, revealing that the testing phase with major aggregators has been completed and that the aggregator module is set to be launched by the Ministry shortly.
Platform Workers' Associations representing workers from across India, including Rajasthan, Assam, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Delhi-NCR, attended the meeting both in person and virtually.
The associations provided valuable input and suggestions for ensuring social security coverage for platform workers. The discussions held during the meeting are expected to shape policies that will safeguard the interests of platform workers, providing them with stability and support in their professional endeavors.
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