Gig workers get national social security board chaired by Labour Minister
By Rhea MalhotraDigital Life Writer, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: yamabon / Pixabay
The Labour Ministry has notified a national social security board for gig and platform workers, reported on October 30, 2026.
What Happened
The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers, according to the government's announcement reported on Friday, 30 October 2026. The board is set up under the Code on Social Security, 2020, and will be chaired by the Union Labour Minister. Its job is to recommend welfare schemes for gig workers, platform workers and other informal workers, and to watch how existing schemes are run.
Key Facts
- The board is formally called the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers.
- It will be chaired by the Union Minister for Labour and Employment.
- Members will include representatives of the central and state governments, aggregators (the app companies that connect workers with customers), employers, civil society, trade unions and associations of gig and platform workers.
- The board must meet at least three times a year, under procedural rules set by the Centre.
- It will recommend schemes, advise the government on running the Code, monitor central welfare schemes, and review record-keeping by states and spending from the social security fund.
- The Code on Social Security came into force on 21 November 2025 and was the first Indian law to define "gig worker" and "platform worker".
- Under the Code, aggregators are to contribute 1% to 2% of their annual turnover to a social security fund, capped at 5% of what they pay gig and platform workers.
Why It Matters
Gig work is one of the most common first jobs for young Indians. Food and grocery delivery, ride-hailing, quick-commerce warehouses, home services and freelance online work all depend on people who are paid per task rather than a monthly salary. These workers usually do not get the provident fund, health insurance, paid leave or accident cover that come with a regular job. A rider who is injured on the road or falls ill can lose income overnight.
The Code on Social Security was meant to change that by giving gig and platform workers a legal identity and a route to benefits. But a law sets out the framework; the actual schemes still have to be designed and funded. The new board is the body that will do much of that work. It is where the government, the companies that run the apps and the workers' own representatives sit at one table to decide what benefits should look like, who pays and how they reach workers.
The board's make-up matters for that reason. Unions and associations of gig and platform workers are among its members, which gives riders and drivers a formal voice in decisions that were earlier taken without them. Aggregators are members too, and they are the ones expected to pay into the fund. How the board balances these interests will shape what a delivery partner or cab driver actually receives.
For young readers, the announcement is a signal to get the paperwork right now. Benefits under such schemes are normally linked to registration. Under the Budget 2025-26 announcements, platform workers are to be registered on the e-Shram portal, given identity cards and covered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana health scheme. What to do next: if you earn through a delivery, ride-hailing or other platform app, register yourself on the official e-Shram portal, keep your Aadhaar-linked mobile number and bank details up to date, and follow the board's meetings for the schemes it recommends.
| Item | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Who chairs the board | Union Minister for Labour and Employment |
| How often it meets | At least three times a year |
| Law it comes under | Code on Social Security, 2020 (in force from 21 November 2025) |
| Aggregator contribution | 1% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of payments to workers |
Impact
Short-term: The board must now be constituted with named members and hold its first meetings. No new benefit starts immediately; workers should expect scheme proposals to follow from its recommendations.
Long-term: If the board works as intended, gig and platform workers could gain health cover, accident insurance, maternity support and old-age protection funded partly by the companies they work through. It also creates a standing forum to review how states keep records and how the fund's money is spent.
Who is affected: Delivery partners, ride-hailing drivers, quick-commerce staff, home-service workers and other app-based and informal workers, many of them young people in their first jobs; the aggregator companies that will pay into the fund; and state governments that keep worker records.
Key Takeaway
India now has a national board, chaired by the Labour Minister and including workers' representatives, to design and monitor social security schemes for gig and platform workers under the 2020 Code.
Questions and Answers
What is the National Social Security Board for gig and platform workers?
It is a body notified by the Union Labour Ministry under the Code on Social Security, 2020, and reported on 30 October 2026. Chaired by the Labour Minister, it recommends welfare schemes for gig, platform and other unorganised workers and monitors how central schemes are implemented.
Who sits on the board?
Representatives of the central and state governments, aggregator companies, employers, civil society groups, trade unions and associations of gig and platform workers. It has to meet at least three times a year.
Do gig workers get any money or benefit right away?
No. The board's role is to recommend and monitor schemes, so benefits will depend on the schemes that follow. Workers should register on the e-Shram portal so they can be counted when schemes begin.
Who pays for gig workers' social security?
Under the Code, aggregators such as delivery and ride-hailing platforms are to contribute 1% to 2% of their annual turnover to a social security fund, with the amount capped at 5% of what they pay gig and platform workers. Government schemes add to this.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Rhea Malhotra, Digital Life WriterCovers Digital Life and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Rhea Malhotra
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Rhea Malhotra is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
