Rework social security code for informal workers
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It needs to be simplified, avoiding multiple authorities and allowing for seamless integration of existing State-run schemes
The Code on Social Security 2020 (SS Code) was passed in Parliament in September 2020 and obtained presidential assent. Thankfully, its implementation has been postponed due to States not issuing notifications. Now, due to the Covid crisis, implementation of all the four new Codes on labour is to be postponed to next year. This is good, since there are many problems with the Codes, especially the SS Code.
The SS Code, once in place, will merge eight existing labour laws including Employees’ Compensation Act 1923, Employees’ State Insurance Act 1948, Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952, Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Payment of Gratuity Act 1972, and Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act 2008.
A collage of laws that leaves the worker out in the cold thehindu.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehindu.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NEW DELHI: Workers seeking benefits under the government s new social security code will be mandated to share their Aadhaar details with the labour and employment ministry, according to new rules notified by the labour ministry on Tuesday.
Labour secretary Apurva Chandra clarified on Wednesday that while the new rules has legally empowered the ministry to collect Aadhaar details from all beneficiaries who sign up to receive services or payment through various schemes under the Social Security Code 2020, no benefit will be denied to workers due to the absence of Aadhaar , at least until such time that the rules under the Social Security Code are notified.
Synopsis
So far, there was no biometric identification proof as a result of which lot of social security benefits were going to fake workers or going multiple times to the same person registered in different names.
As per the Code, the Aadhaar registration is mandatory for all workers seeking benefit from the government in either kind or cash.
The government has made Aadhaar the mandatory identification proof for all workers from the organised and unorganised sectors to avail of social security benefits from May 3. The objective is to weed out duplication and reduce wastage of resources.
In the absence of biometric identification proof so far, there have been reports of imposters and people registered in different names claiming social security benefits.
Labour Ministry gets mandate to seek Aadhaar from beneficiaries under Social Security Code
The main purpose of the latest mandate given to the ministry is to facilitate database creation, mainly covering people in informal sectors like migrant workers.
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NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Labour & Employment has now been mandated to seek the 12-digit unique identification number Aadhaar from people like employees and unorganised sector workers seeking registration, benefits, availing services or receiving any payment under various schemes under the Social Security Code 2020.
Aadhaar would not be made mandatory for delivery of services under various social security schemes under the purview of the ministry because Social Security Code 2020 has not been fully implemented so far.