New e-Shram Portal Features Boosts Welfare Opportunities For Unorganized Workers

The e-Shram Portal for unorganized workers has undergone a major revamp by the Central Government, with the aim of enhancing its effectiveness. The new features and facilities were launched on Monday by Union Minister for Labour, Bhupendra Yadav.

The updated portal will now provide registered workers with access to a range of benefits, including employment opportunities, skills training, apprenticeships, pension schemes, digital skills, and state-specific schemes.

In addition, the revamped portal allows migrant workers to register their family details, which will provide access to child education and women-centric schemes. A new feature has also been added that enables the sharing of registration data of construction workers with the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, ensuring that these workers have access to relevant schemes.

The Data Sharing Portal (DSP), which was also introduced by Minister Yadav, would allow the exchange of e-labour data with State/UT Governments. Through data mapping, the Ministry will identify employees who have not yet benefited from social welfare/security programmes and communicate the information with the States/UTs. This will make it easier for the States/UTs to give these workers' benefits a priority.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the e-Labour Portal in August 2021 to create a national database of unorganized workers and has been consistently working towards their welfare. As of April 21, 2023, over 28.87 crore unorganized workers have registered on the portal.

The expansion of facilities on the e-Shram Portal will significantly benefit unorganized sector workers and their families. The new features will improve the workers' quality of life and promote their overall welfare. The inclusion of family details for migrant workers ensures that their families also have access to benefits. The launch of the Data Sharing Portal and the sharing of data with the States/UTs will make it easier to identify workers who have not yet received benefits and prioritize their access to schemes. The government's efforts are commendable, and the enhancements to the e-Shram Portal will have a profound positive impact on the unorganized sector.