Key Details
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has constituted the National Social Security Board under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The notification establishes one board with different membership arrangements, depending on whether it is addressing unorganised workers generally or gig and platform workers specifically.
Term and meetings: The Board has a three-year term and must meet at least three times a year.
Core role: It will recommend suitable schemes to the Central Government, monitor centrally administered schemes, and review State-level records and expenditure from the relevant fund and account.
Gig-worker representation: For matters concerning gig and platform workers, its membership includes five aggregator representatives and five worker representatives, alongside State representatives, experts and officials from ESIC and EPFO.
Status of benefits: The notification constitutes the Board; it does not announce a new scheme, eligibility rules or the start of payments.
One Board Will Serve Two Groups Through Different Membership
The Code provides for a national board for unorganised workers and assigns that same board a role in the welfare of gig and platform workers. For gig- and platform-related matters, the notification substitutes a dedicated set of members. This gives both the companies that arrange work through digital platforms and representatives of those doing the work a place in deliberations.
That distinction is important: the government has not created two separate national boards. The new step is to put the Code’s governance arrangement into operation by naming its members.
The Board Can Shape Schemes, but Cannot Deliver Benefits by Notification Alone
The Board’s functions span scheme recommendations, policy advice and oversight. It can examine how centrally administered welfare measures are working and review State-level records and relevant expenditure. These responsibilities create a forum for identifying gaps in coverage, but recommendations will still require government decisions and workable scheme arrangements before workers receive a particular benefit.
Policy Relevance
The notification gives gig and platform workers a formal voice in national social-security discussions, alongside aggregators and governments. Its practical value will be judged by what the Board recommends, how those recommendations are acted on, and whether resulting schemes can reach workers whose income and platform engagements may change frequently. Publishing clear decisions and tracking actual enrolment and benefit use would make that distinction visible.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Which social-security needs will the Board prioritise for gig and platform workers, and how will it assess whether any resulting schemes reach them in practice?
Follow the Full Notification and Press Release Here: Gazette Notification S.O. 5884(E) | Ministry of Labour and Employment Press Release