Mission Digital ShramSetu: NITI's plan to empower 490 mn informal workers

In an effort to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and frontier technologies to transform the lives of India’s 490 million informal workers, the NITI Aayog in a report on Wednesday proposed Mission Digital ShramSetu — a road map that will make AI accessible and affordable for these workers.

 

The report titled “AI for Inclusive Societal Development” emphasises that AI will not automatically transform the informal sector as technology alone cannot break systemic barriers. Hence, without deliberate human intervention, focused investments, and an enabling ecosystem, the promise of AI risks remaining out of reach for those who need it the most.

   

“While global discourse on AI has largely centred around white-collar jobs and the formal economy, this study shifts the spotlight to the informal sector, which contributes nearly half of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) yet remains excluded from formal systems of protection, opportunity, and productivity,” said NITI Aayog in a statement.

 

Speaking at the launch of the report, B V R Subrahmanyam, chief executive officer (CEO), NITI Aayog, said that “(if) we are serious about transforming the lives of India’s 490 million informal workers, collaboration is not optional, it is non-negotiable”. 

 

“This goal demands cross-functional action: from focused research and development (R&D) that reduces the cost of frontier technologies to building a sustainable ecosystem of innovation tailored to the informal sector, to skilling and reskilling at scale. Only by uniting government, industry, academia, and civil society, we can ensure that this mission delivers not just technology adoption, but real, lasting empowerment,” he added.

 

Digital ShramSetu proposes to harness AI, blockchain, immersive learning, and other frontier technologies to dismantle structural constraints — ranging from financial insecurity and limited market access to lack of skilling and social protection — and empower informal workers with tools and platforms that amplify their skills, increase productivity, and ensure dignity in work.

 

It also underscores the high cost of delay — at the current trajectory, informal workers’ average annual income will stagnate at $6,000 by 2047, far below the $14,500 target necessary to secure high-income status for India.

 

“Immediate, coordinated action is essential to avoid leaving millions behind and weakening India’s growth story,” the report noted.