Social Security

India's new labour Codes promise sweeping reform, but weak state capacity, patchy data, and political risk may once again turn ambitious legislation into uneven, middling execution

Over 10.07 lakh beneficiaries in Jammu and Kashmir received credit assistance during the first half of the financial year 2025-26, with banks disbursing loans worth over Rs 43,000 crore, an official said on Sunday. The information was given at the 17th meeting of the UT-Level Bankers' Committee (UTLBC) chaired by chief secretary Atal Dulloo here on Saturday to review the performance of banks and financial institutions in providing credit and other banking services during the first quarter and first half of the current financial year 202526, the official said. The official said the meeting was informed that the banks in J&K have disbursed credit of Rs 43,017 crore to 10.07 lakh beneficiaries during the first half of the current financial year 202526. Dulloo said despite the ups and downs caused by the Pahalgam terror attack followed by cross-border tensions and floods that engulfed J&K between April and September, lending to the priority sector has remained ...

India has proposed a US totalisation pact on the lines of its UK agreement, aiming to prevent double social-security contributions and boost savings for thousands of Indians working in America

At UN summit in Doha, India offers its inclusive growth model to the Global South, citing major gains in poverty reduction and social security expansion over the past decade

To harness this shift, the Shram Shakti Niti draft outlines a series of interventions to bridge the divide between skill and opportunity

Employers can enrol all existing employees who joined the establishment between July 1, 2017, and October 31, 2025, and who are alive and employed on the date of the declaration

Exploring India's tax-to-GDP gap, lessons from global reforms, and the role of social security contributions in boosting revenue and citizen compliance

A Social Security official who has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging the Department of Government Efficiency officials mishandled Americans' sensitive information says he's resigning his post because of actions taken against him since making his complaint. Charles Borges, the agency's chief data officer, alleged that more than 300 million Americans' Social Security data was put at risk by DOGE officials who uploaded sensitive information to a cloud account not subject to oversight. His whistleblower disclosure was submitted to the special counsel's office on Tuesday. In a letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, Borges claimed that since filing his whistleblower complaint, the agency's actions make his duties impossible to perform legally and ethically and have caused him physical, mental and emotional distress. After reporting internally to management and externally to regulators, serious data and security and integrity concerns impacting our citizens' most sensitive ...

The Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) announced in the budget for 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs one lakh crore, will promote job creation and provide social security, an official of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said on Tuesday. Regional PF Commissioner-I Randhir Kumar said that the scheme is aimed at incentivising creation of 3.5 crore jobs over a period of two years, that it will be effective from August 1, 2025, and to continue till July 31, 2027. He said out of the total of 3.5 crore, 1.92 crore beneficiaries will be first-timers entering the workforce. Kumar said the thrust of the scheme is on the manufacturing sector, adding that you get benefits under the scheme, the establishments need to be registered with the EPFO. For first-time employees, the scheme provides for a maximum amount of Rs 15,000 per annum to be paid in two instalments. The employers will also get incentives by getting an amount of Rs 3,000 per month for each additional and sustained employme

India may soon have a social security pact with the UK as an in-built component of the free trade agreement (FTA) which has been finalised between the two countries, a source said on Wednesday. The source said that from now onwards, the social security agreement (SSA) will be an in-built component of all free trade agreements to be negotiated in future. "UK is believed to have agreed on the social security component under the FTA negotiations, which would be ratified in the near future," the source said. The SSA, a reciprocal arrangement between two or more countries, ensures that an employee while on a foreign assignment does not have to contribute to the social security coverage fund in that country but get the full benefit of employment period for pension calculation, while the employers are saved from making double social security contributions on behalf of their workers. The Indian employees posted abroad or on foreign assignment are required to obtain a certificate of coverag

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has rolled out Scheme for Promotion of Registration of Employers and Employees (SPREE) 2025 to expand its social security coverage, an official statement said. The corporation approved SPREE 2025 during its 196th meeting in Shimla on June 27 under the chairmanship of Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The scheme will be active from July 1 to December 31, 2025 and provides one-time opportunity for unregistered employers and employeesincluding contractual and temporary workersto enrol without facing inspections or demands for past dues. Employers can register their units and employees digitally through ESIC portal, Shram Suvidha and MCA portal. Registration will be considered valid from the date declared by the employer. No contribution or benefit will apply for periods prior to registration. No inspection or demand for past records will be made for the pre-registration period. The scheme encourages voluntary complianc

The one-time amnesty scheme and re-launch of SPREE aim to reduce litigation, promote compliance and expand ESI coverage among unregistered employers and workers

India's social security coverage reaches 64.3 per cent in 2025, up from 19 per cent in 2015, as verified by ILO using new national-level data pooling by the Centre

India's social security coverage has increased to 64.3 per cent in 2025 from 19 per cent in 2015, according to the ILO data. As per the International Labour Organization (ILO), India now ranks second in the world in terms of beneficiary count, providing social protection to around 94 crore citizens. "The increase marks the fastest expansion in social protection coverage worldwide, reflecting the government's unwavering commitment to 'Antyodaya' i.e., empowering the last mile and fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind," said Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya who was in Geneva to attend the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO. According to an official statement, ILO has acknowledged India's achievement and officially published on its dashboard that 64.3 per cent of India's population, i.e. over 94 crore people, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. It is an unprecedented 45 percentage point surge over the past decade,

The decision allows DOGE, once led by Elon Musk, full access to personal data in the Social Security database while the case moves forward on appeal

PMSBY offers affordable accident insurance to India's vulnerable. With ₹20 premium and ₹2 lakh cover, it has transformed lives, settled 135,000 claims, and ensured inclusive insurance access

The bill proposes the levy on all cross-border remittances made by non-citizens, including H-1B, L-1, and F-1 visa holders, as well as green card holders

It may rise to 65% once data pooling exercise with states is done

The steepest decline was observed in the 140-149 age group, which saw a reduction of 1.13 million individuals, followed closely by the 130-139 age bracket, which lost 1.126 million people

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security Administration systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans. The decision from US District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland also requires the team to delete any personally identifiable data they may have. It comes after labor unions and retirees asked for an emergency order limiting DOGE access to the agency and its vast troves of personal data. They said DOGE's nearly unlimited access violates privacy laws and presents massive information security risks. A recently departed Social Security official who saw the DOGE team sweep into the agency said she is deeply worried about sensitive information being exposed. The Trump administration says DOGE has a 10-person team of federal employees at the Social Security Administration, seven of whom have been granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identifiable information. The administration has