e-Shram: Odisha On The Top With Highest Registered Workers From Unorganised Sectors

New Delhi: Odisha has topped in registration of workers in farming and other unorganised sectors on Union Labour Ministry’s e-Shram.

Besides Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are at the forefront of this initiative with the highest number of registrations.

“Four crore workers have registered on India’s first database for such workers within less than two months,” Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav tweeted. “By registering, the unorganised workers will be able to avail the benefits of various social security and employment-based schemes easily,” he added.

The bulk of those who have registered on the portal belongs to the agriculture and construction sectors. Besides, workers from diverse and different occupations like domestic and household workers, apparel sector workers, automobile and transport sector workers, electronics and hardware workers, capital goods workers, education, healthcare, retail, tourism and hospitality and food industry have also registered.

According to available data, 50.02% of beneficiaries are female and 49.98% are male. There have been weekly improvements in the registrations by gender, with men and women workers registering at comparable proportions.

Smaller states and union territories (UTs) understandably have a lesser registered workforce. Also, this drive has to gain momentum in Meghalaya, Manipur, Manipur, Goa and Chandigarh.

Around 65.68% of these registered workers are in the age group of 16-40 years and 34.32% are in the age group of 40 years and above. The social compositions of these workers include Other Backward Castes (OBC) and General Castes with almost 43% and 27% respectively from these categories and 23% and 7% being from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

A substantial proportion of registration has been facilitated by the CSC. Interestingly, a greater proportion of individuals have self-registered on the portal in Kerala and Goa and in North-East India, Meghalaya and Manipur. Similar is the case with most Union Territories like Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar and Ladakh.

For online registrations, individual workers can use E-Shram’s mobile application or the website. They can also visit the Common Service Centres (CSC), State Seva Kendra, Labour Facilitation Centres, selected post offices of the Department of Posts’ Digital Seva Kendras, to register themselves in this portal.

After registration at e-Shram Portal, the unorganised workers shall receive a digital e-SHRAM card and they can update their profiles/particulars through the portal or mobile app. They will have a Universal Account Number (on eSHRAM Card) that will be acceptable across the country and now they will not be required to register at different places for obtaining social security benefits.

If a registered worker meets with an accident, he/she will be eligible for Rs 2 lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs 1 lakh on partial disability.