India Proposes Gig Worker Social Security

The India — India, through its India — Ministry of Labor and Employment, has proposed new draft rules under the Social Security Code to extend social security benefits to gig and platform workers. These rules, released for public consultation, stipulate that gig workers must complete a minimum of 90 days of engagement with a single aggregator or 120 cumulative days across multiple aggregators in a financial year to qualify for benefits. The framework includes health, life, and personal accident insurance, with potential for pension benefits based on contributions from both platforms and workers. All eligible workers above 16 years of age will require India — Aadhaar-linked registration on the e-Shram portal, which will serve as a national database. Aggregators are mandated to share worker details for universal account number generation. A United States — National Social Security Board will be established to oversee the implementation and policy recommendations. Workers will become ineligible upon turning 60 or failing to meet the minimum engagement requirements.