e-SHRAM portal: Odisha tops with 90L registrations

They will not be required to register at different places for obtaining social security benefits. 
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha seems to have a majority of its workforce engaged in the unorganised sector. This has come  to the fore after the State saw highest numbers of workers in  the country to have registered with e-SHRAM portal, first national data base of workforce engaged in informal sectors.Odisha’s workers’ registration stands at over 89 lakh (89,42,844 to be precise)  followed by West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Data available in the e-SHRAM dashboard of the Ministry of Labour and Employment shows that over 94 per cent of the registered workers have a monthly income below Rs 10,000 and a majority of them are engaged in agricultural and allied sectors. The income of 4.6 per cent of the workforce is in the range of Rs 10,000-15,000; 0.67 per  cent have income between Rs 15,001 and Rs 18,000; 0.31 per cent have Rs 18,001-21,000 and 0.32 per cent have income over Rs 21,000. 

While the definition and percentage of unorganised labour in the informal sector provided in Odisha Economic Survey 2020-21 is unclear, the numbers presented at the labour portal and monthly income of the workers throws light on the status of the people working in informal sectors and comes at a time when the State government’s claim that Odisha has seen the sharpest drop of about 25 per cent in poverty in last two decades. 

Majority of the workers (63.5 lakh) are agricultural workers, over 9.71 lakh are in construction sector, nearly 4.5 lakh from apparel manufacturing and over 2.6 lakh are domestic and household workers. As per live data, around 51.19 per cent beneficiaries are female and 48.8 per cent are male. It is also encouraging that more women are beneficiary of this social security drive.

Besides, workers from diverse and different occupations like automobile and transport sector, electronics and hardware, capital goods, education, healthcare, retail, tourism and hospitality, food industry and many more have registered at this portal.

Around 60.48 per cent of the registered workers are in the age group of 16-40 years and 39.52 per cent in the age group of 40 years and above. The social composition of the workers include other backward castes (OBC) and general castes with share of almost 39.48 per cent and 24.24 per cent respectively while 22.4 per cent and 13.88 per cent are from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

While 75.6 percent of the registered workers have provided bank accounts details, 31.93 percent have seeded their accounts with Aadhaar number. Registered workers will get a digital e-SHRAM card and they will have a universal account number which will be acceptable across the country.  They will not be required to register at different places for obtaining social security benefits. 

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The New Indian Express
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