From 19 per cent to 68.4 per cent: how wide India's social security net now reaches

Background

This background goes with the National Social Security Board notified this week for unorganised, gig and platform workers.
Only 19 per cent of people in India had any social protection in 2015; for 2026 the figure is 68.4 per cent, which works out to more than a billion people.
Provident fund, pension and insurance for salaried workers are handled by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, a body set up by law and answerable to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Few social security institutions anywhere in the world carry as many members on their rolls.
Membership used to be compulsory only up to a monthly wage of Rs 15,000, and that line has now been lifted to Rs 25,000, which should bring in over 51 lakh more employees.
The Code on Social Security, 2020 is the law behind the new Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 and the Employees' Pension Scheme, 2026.
The pension scheme pays a monthly amount when a member superannuates, retires or is disabled.
Workers outside regular salaried jobs are reached by other routes, among them e-Shram, PM-SYM and the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana.