Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced the inclusion of gig and platform workers under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY), extending healthcare benefits provided under the scheme to these employees from the unorganised sector.
The gig economy is growing rapidly and is expected to more than triple in the next 4-5 years. They are expected to increase to 23.5 million by the end of this decade, 2029-30. For the last few months, the government has been considering to create a framework for bringing gig and platform workers under social security coverage, which is not available to them at present.
Sitharaman said in her Budget Speech: “Gig workers of online platforms provide great dynamism to the new-age services economy. Recognising their contribution, our government will arrange for their identity cards and registration on the e-Shram portal. They will be provided healthcare under PM Jan Arogya Yojana. This measure is likely to assist nearly 1 crore gig-workers.”
While the social security code was brought in 2020, there is still no scheme available covering them and offering healthcare, social security and other such benefits.
Yogesh Agarwal, CEO and founder, Onsurity, said that this Budget emphasised on healthcare for the gig workforce, which is a positive step.
“It is a crucial step toward ensuring financial and health security for millions of independent (unorganised sector) workers in India. The Budget announcement is a strong validation of the evolving economic and workforce dynamics and the need to cover them for healthcare benefits under the government-provided scheme. We believe that access to quality healthcare should not be a privilege only to people engaged in full-time employment. Rather it should be a fundamental right for all workers, whether full-time, part-time, or gig-based,” he says.
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