Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 4
The Centre has asked the states and UTs to provide momentum to the drive to register workers in the unorganised sector on its e-Shram portal.
Sources said the Union Labour Ministry has communicated with the authorities of the states and UTs in the matter.
Since the launch of the portal on August 26, this year, for the benefit of unorganised workers, more than 2.50 crore workers registered on this portal.
As per the Economic Survey, 2019-20, an estimated 38 crore workers are engaged in the unorganised sector and employment.
Last week, Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav also held discussions with the state labour ministers, labour secretaries and commissioners of states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and UTs of Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh regarding progress with respect to registration of unorganised workers under e-Shram portal.
He also sought feedback on their preparedness on implementation of various schemes and reforms in light of the registration of the workers.
An official source said the response from the states and UTs to the union minister has been encouraging.
The portal is the first-ever national database of unorganised workers including migrant workers, construction workers, gig and platform workers.
It was instituted in the wake of express need felt for it during the Covid-endued national lockdown, the health crisis, and the wide-ranging shakedown of the polity in which large scale destabilization, loss of jobs and livelihoods occurred.
Due to absence of data, especially of migrant workers, who are generally employed in the unorganised sector, the government was impeded in its attempt to reach out to them with succour through its relief and economic rehabilitation packages during the lockdown.
An outreach to them was vicarious, and in the nature of an intermediary, through medium of plexus of channels, which, in the final analysis, was alleged was sketchy, erratic and unstructured.
Data on all aspects of labour is crucial. Scientifically collected data is bedrock for any evidence-based policy making.
In the backdrop of India being a labour-surplus nation, importance of data assumes significance.
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