The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE) launched the eShram portal on 26^th August 2021. In the short span of three years since its launch, eShram has registered more than 30 crore unorganised workers, showcasing its rapid and widespread adoption among the unorganised workers. This achievement highlights the social impact and the Government's commitment to support unorganised workers across the country.

The Government envisages to establishing the eShram portal as a "One-Stop-Solution" for Country’s unorganised workers. During Budget speech 2024-25 it has been announced that, “A comprehensive integration of eShram portal with other portals will facilitate such One-Stop-Solution.” This initiative aims to facilitate access of various social security schemes being implemented by different Ministries/ Departments to unorganised workers through the eShram portal. The eShram-One Stop Solution will serve as a facilitator to ensure seamless access of various Government schemes to the unorganised workers. This will help in creating awareness of the schemes meant for unorganised workers while ensuring saturation of the schemes through identification of left-out potential beneficiaries.

 As part of the ‘eShram - One Stop Solution’ project, Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) has been working to integrate major schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), Ration Card scheme etc. for the benefit of the unorganised workers.

A two-way integration of Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) and eShram is also a focus area of One-Stop-Solution project of MoLE and is making a significant progress. This integration will help eShram and SIDH registrants to seamlessly register on either portal and access the services being offered by these portals.

To ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes reach all workers at the grassroots level, it is important to onboard all unorganised workers, including health workers like ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and those in working in villages/ Gram Panchayats/ Sabhas/ Parishads, building and construction projects including MGNREGA workers and other similar workers. For this purpose, regular inter-ministerial meetings are being held by MoLE with senior officers from various Ministries/ Departments including Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Department of Fisheries (DoF), National Health Authority (NHA), State BOCW boards etc. Respective Ministries/Departments have been requested to integrate their schemes with eShram portal for the comprehensive development of the unorganised workers.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has also approached different Ministries like Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), etc. to register the unorganised workers under their ambit on eShram portal, at the earliest.

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Himanshu Pathak