New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) India’s social protection coverage has risen sharply from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025, taking the country to the second rank in the world after China in providing social protection to its citizens.

After the increase in the number of social welfare schemes for the poor, the latest labour reforms announced by the government this year are expected to enhance this security further.

India has been conferred with the prestigious International Social Security Association (ISSA) Award 2025 for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Social Security’ in Malaysia in October this year.

Keeping up the momentum of reforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana on August 15, 2025 with an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore, with the aim to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs in the country over a period of 2 years. Out of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries will be first timers, entering the workforce.

More than 2.35 lakh establishments have been registered on the PMVBRY portal so far, with the number of first time employee beneficiaries estimated at over 20.7 lakh.

In order to support employment generation, enhance employability and social security across all sectors, the scheme has been launched with a special focus on the manufacturing sector. Under the Scheme, while the first-time employees will get one month’s wage (up to Rs 15,000), the employers will be given incentives for a period of up to two years for generating additional employment, with extended benefits for another two years for the manufacturing sector.

In a landmark reform, the government consolidated 29 existing labour laws into four Labour Codes — the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

The new framework enhances ease of doing business while expanding wage security, social protection, and workplace safety for workers, including women, migrant, gig, and platform workers.

The code on wages aims to strengthen workers’ rights while promoting simplicity and uniformity in wage-related compliance for employers. Uniform definition of wages and statutory minimum wages across sectors, improving income security and reducing disputes.

The industrial relations code simplifies laws related to trade unions, conditions of employment in industrial establishment or undertaking, investigation and settlement of industrial disputes.

The social security extends social security to all workers — including unorganized, gig, and platform workers-covering life, health, maternity, and provident fund benefits, while introducing digital systems and facilitator-based compliance for greater efficiency.

The code on occupational safety and health aims to safeguard worker rights and safe working conditions, and creating a business-friendly regulatory environment.

In order to further enhance social security benefits EPFO has undertaken a major digital transformation during the year with the auto-settlement of claims up to Rs 5 Lakh, a centralised Pension System and a FAT-enabled UAN activation to make life easier for subscribers of the scheme.

Similarly benefits for workers have been increased with the expansion of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) footprint to 713 districts in the country from 688 districts earlier. The number of beds in hospitals run under the ESIC scheme have been increased three-fold to 87,715 in FY 2024-25.

ESIC has also launched the scheme to Promote Registration of Employers/Employees (SPREE 2025), providing a one-time opportunity for employers and employees who may have been inadvertently left out from ESI coverage to register without any concern for retrospective coverage or punitive action.

–IANS

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