India Gig Workers to Get Accident Insurance, Health Cover and Pension

Overview

India is creating a social security system for gig and platform workers. The plan includes accident insurance, health coverage, maternity support, and old-age protection. The new rules link the Social Security Code, the e-Shram portal, and a new board to manage welfare benefits.

A Historic Step for Gig Workers

For the first time in India's history, gig and platform workers will receive social security benefits. These workers are people who do short-term, task-based jobs. They work through digital platforms like Uber, Swiggy, Zomato, Ola, and Flipkart. They deliver food, drive cabs, or provide home services. Until now, they had no safety net. If they met with an accident, got sick, or grew old, there was no help. The government is changing this. A new framework will give them accident insurance, health coverage, maternity support, and old-age protection.

What is the Social Security Code, 2020?

The Social Security Code, 2020, is one of India's four new labour codes. It replaced 29 old labour laws. The code came into force on 21 November 2025. For the first time, it legally defines "gig worker" and "platform worker". A gig worker is a person who works outside a traditional employer-employee relationship. A platform worker is a person who uses an online platform to provide services. An aggregator is a digital intermediary like Uber or Swiggy that connects customers with service providers.

What Benefits Will Gig Workers Get?

The proposed welfare package has four main parts:

• Accident insurance  – If a worker meets with an accident while working, they will get compensation.

• Health coverage  – Workers will get free treatment up to ₹5 lakh per year under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.

• Maternity support  – Women workers will get cash benefits during pregnancy and after delivery.

• Old-age protection  – A pension scheme will provide income after retirement.

The Union Budget 2025-26 announced that all gig workers registered on the e-Shram portal will get Ayushman Bharat health cards.

Eligibility: The 90-Day and 120-Day Rule

Not every gig worker will get benefits automatically. The government has set a work requirement.

• A worker who works for  one  aggregator must complete at least  90 days  of work in a financial year.

• A worker who works for  two or more  aggregators must complete at least  120 days  of work in a financial year. Days from different platforms are added together.

A day is counted as a work day only if the worker earns some income on that day. Simply logging into the app and waiting for a task does not count. If a worker works for three different platforms in one calendar day, that day counts as three days of engagement towards the 120-day total.

A worker stops being eligible when:

• They turn 60 years old, OR