The Indian government is planning to expand its social security benefits for gig and platform workers by adding life and accident insurance coverage, in addition to health insurance already offered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Contributions from aggregators such as Zomato, Swiggy, and Blinkit will help fund these initiatives under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The upcoming scheme will also allow partial fund withdrawals and introduce a Universal Account Number for workers.
The Government of India is set to expand its social security coverage for platform and gig workers by introducing life and accident insurance benefits, complementing the health insurance already extended under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
This move is part of the broader implementation of the Code on Social Security, 2020, which mandates that aggregator platforms contribute up to 2% of their annual turnover to a Social Security Fund managed by the Central Government. According to officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, this fund will be used to cover various social benefits for unorganised, gig, and platform workers.
Prominent aggregator companies including Zomato, Swiggy, and Blinkit have aligned with the objectives of this scheme.
“Beyond pensions, we are now moving towards a comprehensive package of social protection, which includes life, accident, and health insurance,” an official said.
The Ayushman Bharat programme already provides health insurance to gig workers, and this extension will ensure broader coverage. The scheme will also adopt a contributory model, allowing workers to voluntarily contribute towards their pension fund.
Significantly, the scheme will offer financial flexibility. Workers may be allowed to withdraw part of the accumulated corpus for essential needs such as education or family events, rather than locking in the entire fund.
To streamline benefit access, each gig worker will receive a Universal Account Number (UAN) through the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). This UAN will remain consistent even if the worker engages with multiple aggregators, ensuring all contributions flow into one unified account. Workers transitioning to regular employment can merge this account with their EPFO account.
In her Budget 2025–26 announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman confirmed that 10 million gig workers will be registered on the labour ministry’s e-Shram portal and assigned UANs. By the end of April, more than one million gig workers had already received their UANs.
The NITI Aayog, India’s public policy think tank, estimated 7.7 million gig workers in 2020–21, a number expected to reach 23.5 million by 2030, reflecting the growing importance of this workforce segment.
The Ministry of Labour is expected to roll out the new scheme later this year, reinforcing India’s efforts to create a more inclusive and secure digital economy.
