Government to link insurance, pension schemes to informal worker database

The other three are: Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana (PMSYM), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), the Labor and Employment Ministry said.

The database will be deployed on August 26 after months of delay and criticism from the Supreme Court over the slowness of the Labor Ministry’s action. All informal sector and concert workers to be entered into the database – around 380 million at present – will receive a 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and a card that will allow plan portability and flow. social benefits.

“Targeted delivery and last mile delivery has been a major goal… and the national database of unorganized workers is another key step in this direction,” Labor Minister Bhupendra Yadav said.

“Years of effort are finally materializing, and you’ll see it benefit informal workers, gigs, and platform workers. In addition, workers in small businesses with fewer than 10 workers can register in the database for several benefits, ”said Labor Secretary Apurva Chandra.

Ajay Tiwari, director general of labor protection and co-secretary of the ministry, said it would have multiple uses – the database will see the integration of social security schemes (pension, insurance) including PMSYM, PMJJBY , PMSBY and PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat). Informal sector workers can access, benefit and register through this database platform.

Ayushman Bharat provides health coverage of ??500,000 per family and per year for hospitalization in secondary and tertiary care for poor and vulnerable families. PMSYM provides a minimum pension of ??3,000 to informal workers. It is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme on a 50/50 basis. Workers in the 18-40 age group are eligible for registration.

The Ministry of Labor also said it may also share information with “other ministries, departments, boards, agencies and organizations of central and state governments for the provision of various social security and social protection schemes administered by them”.

The database, Tiwari said, will also track the movement of migrants from the informal sector to the formal sector or vice versa and also within professions and will facilitate “portability of social benefits to migrants and construction workers.” When registering, a worker will be required to share their Aadhaar contact details, main occupation, home state and host state address, and bank account details.

Chandra said he and his team have spoken to chief state secretaries and states will have follow-up committees to keep tabs on registration and implementation at the field level. The secretary also said that the unions will be accompanied for the exercise as they will be essential in making the program popular and influencing workers to register in the database.