New Delhi, March 6: Social security coverage in India has doubled from 24.4 per cent to 48.8 per cent, said Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya. Addressing the post-budget webinar on the theme ‘Investing in People’, Mandaviya outlined the government’s mission to skill and empower India’s youth, ensuring that talent in the country makes a global impact. Citing the ILO World Social Security Report 2024-26, he said "India’s social security coverage doubling from 24.4 per cent to 48.8 per cent”.
The expansion of the e-Shram Portal, covering over 30.67 crore unorganised workers, and the inclusion of gig workers under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), reinforce the government’s commitment to workforce welfare, the Union Minister said. The government has also integrated 12 key welfare schemes under e-Shram and has made the portal available in 22 Indian languages, he said, adding that to support workers' families. “Ten new ESIC medical colleges have been approved, with plans for 10 more in the pipeline,” he said.
Mandaviya highlighted the roadmap for Viksit Bharat by 2047 and stated that investing in people is not just an economic decision but a social, moral, and cultural commitment toward an educated, healthy, and empowered society. Underscoring the success of employment initiatives, Mandaviya said that “17.1 crore jobs were created between 2014-24, including 4.6 crore in the past year alone”. On the other hand, there has been a “significant drop in unemployment rates, from 6 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.2 per cent in 2023-24”, the Minister said.
There has also been “a remarkable rise in female employment from 22 per cent to 40.3 per cent in the same period”, he added, while crediting these achievements to the government’s progressive policies. Meanwhile, Sumita Dawra, Secretary (Labour and Employment) highlighted major strides in modernising the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), including the enrolment of over 6.2 crore new members in six-and-a-half years. She also mentioned reforms such as centralised pension processing system, auto-settlement of PF claims, and robust IT infrastructure. Dawra underscored the ESIC expansion from 2.03 crore insured persons (IPs) in 2014 to 3.72 crore in 2024 and the growing healthcare network across 165 hospitals and 1,590 dispensaries.
