Centre constitutes National Social Security Board for gig and unorganised workers

The Centre has constituted the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers to recommend welfare schemes and monitor social security programmes for millions of workers in the country.

The Labour and Employment Ministry notified the constitution of the Board on October 30 under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

The Board will be headed by the Union Labour and Employment Minister. Its members will include representatives of the Central and state governments, aggregator companies, employers, civil society organisations, trade unions and associations representing gig and platform workers.

The panel will assess the needs of different sections of the workforce and recommend suitable social security schemes to the Centre. It will also advise the government on implementing the Code on Social Security and monitor welfare programmes for unorganised, gig and platform workers.

Its responsibilities include reviewing state-level record-keeping mechanisms and examining expenditure from designated funds and accounts linked to these initiatives.

Under the prescribed framework, the Board must meet at least three times a year and conduct its proceedings according to rules laid down by the Central Government.

The move comes as India's gig economy expands through app-based services such as ride-hailing, food delivery and logistics. Unlike conventional salaried employment, gig and platform work often operates outside traditional employer-employee arrangements, leaving workers with limited access to structured social security benefits.

The constitution of the Board creates an institutional mechanism to consider workers' concerns and recommend welfare measures. However, it does not automatically grant new benefits or payments. The actual benefits available to workers will depend on the schemes subsequently recommended and implemented by the government.