Swiggy, Zomato, other gig workers to get new social security board: Pension, insurance benefits incoming? Know here

Centre notifies social security board

The Union government has constituted the National Social Security Board for unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers, according to a PTI report. The Ministry of Labour and Employment said the board has been set up under the Code on Social Security and will design, monitor and recommend welfare schemes for the informal workforce. The move covers workers engaged by aggregator platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato, alongside the wider unorganised sector.

The board will be chaired by the Union Minister for Labour and Employment. Its membership will draw from the Centre and state governments, large aggregator companies, employers, civil society organisations, workers' unions and associations representing gig and platform workers.

What the board will do

Under the Code on Social Security, the board has several mandated functions. It will recommend to the central government the framing of schemes for different categories of unorganised and gig workers, and advise the Centre on matters relating to the administration of the code. It will also monitor centrally administered welfare schemes for these workers, review record-keeping at the state level, and examine expenditure from the relevant fund and account. The Centre may assign it additional roles.

The board is required to meet at least three times a year, following procedures prescribed by the government.

Why it matters for businesses

Aggregators and other employers of gig and platform workers will now have a formal forum where worker welfare schemes are shaped and reviewed. Industry representation on the board means platform companies can expect to be consulted as benefit frameworks take shape. The schemes under consideration are expected to bring pension, insurance or other benefits, which could translate into new compliance and contribution obligations for platforms once notified.

No official notification on specific benefits has been issued so far, so the immediat…