The Ministry of Labour and Employment in India is working to transform the eShram portal into a one-stop solution for unorganized sector workers, providing them with easy access to government benefits and services. This initiative aims to address the challenges faced by these workers in registering for various schemes and accessing their rightful benefits.
eShram, the national database of unorganized sector workers, currently holds details of 295 million workers, including migrant laborers, domestic workers, self-employed individuals, and small shopkeepers. Upon registering on the portal, these workers receive a Universal Account Number linked to their Aadhaar, enabling them to avail social security benefits.
To achieve the goal of a comprehensive solution, the Labour Ministry is collaborating with 14 Central government ministries and departments. An inter-ministerial meeting held earlier this month brought together representatives from various ministries, including Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The initiative aims to integrate over 600 Central government schemes, with a total outlay of Rs 15 lakh crore, onto the eShram portal. This integration will simplify the process for workers to identify and register for relevant schemes, eliminating the need to navigate multiple portals. Additionally, it will enable targeted delivery of schemes by the respective ministries, ensuring efficient utilization of allocated resources.
Currently, eShram users can access a list of 1,700 schemes and determine their eligibility. The portal is already integrated with the One Nation One Ration Card scheme, facilitating the identification and issuance of ration cards to beneficiaries. This model of data integration is envisioned for other schemes as well.
Furthermore, the eShram portal has been integrated with the National Career Service portal, allowing workers to conveniently search for job opportunities. A successful pilot project has demonstrated the portal's potential to operate on a larger scale, bringing significant benefits to India's unorganized sector workforce.