New Delhi: After launching the first-ever national database of unorganised workers, the labour ministry is now looking at linking welfare schemes with the e-Shram portal to ensure the workers are able to claim benefits with the click of a mouse.
The first scheme that the ministry will be linking with the portal is the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, which will be done in the next fortnight, said a senior labour ministry official who did not want to be named.
This scheme provides a Rs 2 lakh accidental insurance cover to the family of the insured.
“In the event of accidental death of an unorganised sector worker, his family can log on to the online portal and claim the insurance, after uploading proof of their identity. They won’t have to run around. The idea is to make the whole process smooth and hassle-free to claim benefits,” he added.
Earlier, as an incentive to register on the e-Shram portal, the labour ministry had decided to waive the annual Rs 12 premium on the accidental insurance cover scheme.
By the year end, the government also plans to link two other schemes — PM Shram Yogi Maandhan and PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana — with the portal.
Under the PM Shram Yogi Maandhan, unorganised sector workers with a monthly income of up to Rs 15,000 are entitled to an assured pension of Rs 3,000 after they retire.
The PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana promises Rs 2 lakh risk coverage in case of death of an insured worker due to any reason. The premium is Rs 330 per annum under the scheme, which is auto debited in one installment from the subscriber’s bank account.
Once these schemes are linked, registered workers will be able to log into the portal and apply for online transfer of funds, eliminating the need to run from pillar to post.
“These three schemes put together will give the workers some amount of social security. We will subsequently link other welfare schemes with the portal,” said a second ministry official.
Also read: 3 cr on unorganised workers’ database, 48% women, 55% don’t have Aadhaar-linked accounts
‘Talks on to see if workers could be covered under Ayushman Bharat’
The second ministry official said the labour ministry is also in talks with the National Health Mission to assess if unorganised sector workers can be brought under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat — the Narendra Modi government’s flagship health insurance scheme that caters to poor and vulnerable families. The scheme currently doesn’t cover all workers in the unorganised sector, the official added.
E-Shram, the much-awaited online national database of unorganised workers, which was announced by the Modi government after the migrant workers’ crisis last year, was launched by Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav on 26 August with an aim to register India’s 38 crore unorganised-sector workers.
The database will have details of workers such as their present status, skill type, family details, address, current location in case of migrant workers, and their movement from formal to the informal sector.
It will also contain information on different social sector and welfare schemes run by the central and state governments for these workers.
As of 15 October, approximately 3.91 crore unorganised sector workers had registered on the portal.
(Edited by Rachel John)
Also read: Rs 2L accident cover, link to schemes — what new govt portal offers unorganised sector workers