Gig Workers to Get Insurance and Pension Under New 2026 Rules

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje informed the Rajya Sabha today that the government has formalized a massive welfare framework for the nation’s growing gig workforce.

Central to this initiative is the integration of the e-Shram portal with the Ayushman Bharat (AB-PMJAY) scheme, ensuring healthcare access for millions of platform workers.

Aggregator Onboarding and the e-Shram Ecosystem

Since the launch of a dedicated Aggregator module in December 2024, 12 major industry leaders have officially onboarded.

These include Zomato, Blinkit, Swiggy, Uber, Ola, Amazon, and Zepto, among others.

This module streamlines the registration of platform workers, providing them with a Universal Account Number (UAN).

To ensure maximum coverage, the government conducted three nationwide registration drives in 2025, significantly boosting the database of unorganized workers.

Legislative Support and Social Security Fund for Gig Workers

The transition is backed by the Code on Social Security, 2020, which officially came into force on November 21, 2025.

For the first time, Indian law provides clear definitions for “gig” and “platform” workers.

The Code mandates the creation of a Social Security Fund to finance essential benefits, including life and disability cover, accident insurance, maternity benefits, and old age protection.

Budgetary Boost and Future Projections

The Union Budget 2025-26 accelerated these efforts by announcing the mandatory issuance of identity cards and the extension of Ayushman Bharat health benefits to all registered gig workers.

This comes at a critical time; while NITI Aayog estimated the gig workforce at 7.7 million in 2021, that number is projected to skyrocket to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

To ensure seamless delivery, the government has implemented high-tech interventions for data mapping.

These tools allow for efficient verification between the e-Shram and PMJAY platforms.

This ensures that a delivery partner or service professional can access healthcare benefits instantly based on their e-Shram registration.

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