The enrolment of gig and platform workers on the e-Shram portal continues to remain limited in Odisha, leaving a large section of the workforce outside the ambit of formal social- security coverage.
During a recent Assembly session, Labour and ESI Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia highlighted that only a small proportion of gig workers have registered on the platform so far. This comes despite the rapid expansion of app-based jobs across sectors such as ride-hailing and food delivery, which have seen increasing participation in recent years.
The slow pace of registration has been linked to multiple factors. A key concern is the lack of awareness among workers about the benefits of enrolling on the portal. Additionally, the inherently fragmented nature of gig work poses challenges. Many workers operate independently, without structured employer support or consistent access to formal systems, making registration efforts more difficult to scale.
As a result, a substantial number of workers remain excluded from welfare schemes that are tied to the e-Shram database. This gap highlights a broader issue in extending social security to emerging workforce segments that do not fit into traditional employment models.
The situation reflects the ongoing challenge of converting policy frameworks into meaningful on-ground participation. As gig work continues to grow, bridging this gap will be critical to ensuring that workers in the informal and platform economy are able to access benefits and protections designed for their welfare.
