Social Security

ESIC plans to build own medical education system with new university

ESIC plans a deemed health sciences university to unify its medical colleges, standardise education, boost research and strengthen governance across its expanding network

ESIC plans to bring gig, platform workers under social security net

Draft regulations aligned with the Code on Social Security, 2020 also propose new regional offices and a digital compliance framework ahead of expanded coverage

India-UK social security pact to yield £500 million annual savings

The Double Contribution Convention will exempt eligible Indian professionals and employers from UK social security payments for five years, reducing costs significantly

Labour code requirements: Firms seek more time to upload gig workers' data

Digital platforms have sought additional time beyond the June 21 deadline to upload gig worker data to the eShram portal, citing operational and technical challenges

New India-UK pact to benefit 90-95% of Indian professionals in Britain

About 90-95 per cent of Indian professionals employed by Indian companies operating in the UK would be benefitted from the social security agreement between the two countries, a move that will reduce costs for firms and enhance the competitiveness of Indian service providers in the British market, an official said. The two countries on June 17 announced that the Agreement on Social Security or the Double Contribution Convention (DCC) and Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will come into effect on July 15. The DCC will give a major boost to IT majors like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys. Professionals of Indian-origin contribute about USD 0.5 billion each year to the UK social security. Under the DCC, employees temporarily transferred by companies from India to the UK, or vice versa, will be exempt from making social security contributions in the host country for up to five years. It was a key demand of India. Around 75,000 Indian professionals are worki

India reaffirms role in ILO-led coalition for social justice at Geneva meet

India participated in a Global Coalition for Social Justice meeting in Geneva, reaffirming its engagement with the ILO-led initiative on labour rights and social protection

Gig worker body flags delays in data sharing, seeks stricter enforcement

IFAT says non-compliance by aggregator firms is delaying welfare schemes and social security benefits for lakhs of gig and platform workers across the country

Banks need to push APY subscribers toward higher pension slab: DFS Secy

Flagging concerns over the high concentration of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) subscribers in the minimum slab of Rs 1,000, Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju called on financial institutions, particularly banks, to nudge individuals toward higher pension slabs as their incomes grow. The flagship social security scheme, APY, has witnessed gross enrolments crossing the 9 crore mark, and in FY26, a record 1.35 crore new subscribers were added. "Amid this remarkable progress, I must call your attention to the critical concern that there is an overwhelming concentration of enrolments in the Rs 1,000 monthly pension slab," he said, while addressing an Atal Pension Yojana Annual Felicitation Programme organised by PFRDA here. "While we celebrate our enrolment numbers, we must ask ourselves: would Rs 1,000 per month provide adequate protection to our subscribers 20 or 30 years from now? This concentration suggests that our counselling at the point of enrolment needs more strengthening. Ou

Withdrawal of retirement provident funds to soon be automated: EPFO

Retirement fund body EPFO will soon automate the process for settling final provident fund withdrawal claims, fast-tracking the money transfer to the applicant's bank accounts, a top official said on Wednesday. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has more than seven crore members. At present, partial or advance withdrawal claims of up to Rs 5 lakh are settled through auto mode, and the deadline for the auto-settlement mode is three days from filing the claim. Speaking at the ASSOCHAM's National Seminar on New Labour Codes, Central Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO, Ramesh Krishnamurthi, said, "We are also going to initiate, as far as feasible, auto-settlement for now...which was (available) only for advances. Now we are going in for auto-settlement of final withdrawals." He further added that the EPFO is going in for auto-settlement and auto-transfer of provident fund accounts in case a member shifts employers. "You don't have to file a form anymore. We try to ...

Central labour rules notified: What the new framework means for industry

Final Central Rules under the four labour codes shift India's labour reforms from policy to implementation, putting immediate compliance focus on employers

Bengal workers to get ESIC coverage after Labour Codes rollout: Mandaviya

Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said workers in West Bengal will gain access to expanded ESIC social security benefits once the Labour Codes are implemented

Labour ministry taps influencers to promote pension scheme for workers

Labour ministry invites digital influencers to promote PM-SYM pension scheme, aiming to boost awareness and expand social security coverage among informal workers

Centre drafting insurance scheme for gig workers with life, accident cover

The labour ministry is drafting a social security scheme offering insurance and possible pension cover for gig workers under the Code on Social Security

PSBs, insurers seek higher sum assured for social security schemes

PSBs and insurers have urged the finance ministry to raise the sum assured under PMJJBY and PMSBY, citing inflation and household vulnerabilities, as India targets "Insurance for All by 2047"

Govt publishes handbook on employer compliance under Labour Codes

Labour Ministry releases a handbook outlining 23 compliance actions for employers under the four Labour Codes, offering clarity ahead of final rules expected by the end of the fiscal year

India, UK sign social security agreement to avoid double contributions

India and the UK have signed a social security agreement to avoid double contributions for employees on temporary assignments, supporting worker mobility under the proposed trade pact

India hopes to conclude social security pacts with all EU members in 5 yrs

Social Security Agreement ensures continuity of social security benefits on a reciprocal basis and thus avoids potential dual contributions for Indian workers and employers in the future

Delhi govt plans to upskill 120K registered construction workers

Delhi government, under the newly implemented Code of Social Security, has planned skill training of 1.20 lakh construction workers to improve their efficiency and ensure better job prospects, officials said on Monday. The government agency Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare (DBOCWW) Board deals with the welfare of registered workers in the city. The training is important for the construction workers who are one of the most vulnerable segments of the labour workforce, largely because the majority of them migrate from different regions of the country, especially villages, to Delhi in search of livelihood means, said a senior Delhi government officer. Under the Code of Social Security, 2020, implemented by the Government of India in November last year, the Building Workers Welfare Board have been empowered to frame skill development and awareness schemes for the registered workers. The DBOCWW Board, moving in skilling of 1.20 lakh workers registered with it, has ..

Govt launches 2-day conference on labour codes, asks states to notify rules

This is the first of six regional conferences planned by the Central government, covering all states, Union territories and key stakeholders

Labour Ministry publishes draft rules; gig workers' unions seek clarity

Draft rules under the new Labour Codes set minimum work-day criteria for gig workers to access social security benefits, prompting unions to seek clarity on eligibility and safeguards