They do not meet the work requirement in the previous financial year.
The minimum age to register is 16 years.
The e-Shram Portal: A Digital Identity for Every Worker
The e-Shram portal is a national database for unorganised workers. It was launched to give every worker a Universal Account Number (UAN). This number stays with the worker for life, even if they change jobs or move to another city. The government has asked all aggregators to upload their gig worker data to the e-Shram portal by 22 June 2026 . The portal will integrate with aggregators' databases in real time. A toll-free helpline (14434) has been set up to help workers register. More than 30 crore unorganised workers have already registered on the portal. Women make up 53.68% of the registrations.
A government official compared e-Shram to UPI and Aadhaar. "Just like the UPI and Aadhaar changed the digital landscape in India, the e-Shram has the potential of changing the way the benefits are given to workers, along with the portability of benefits," said Ashutosh Pednekar, Joint Secretary in the Labour Ministry.
Funding: How Will This Be Paid For?
The Social Security Code requires aggregators to contribute to a Social Security Fund . The contribution is 1% to 2% of the aggregator's annual turnover , capped at 5% of the total amount paid to workers . For example, if a company pays its gig workers ₹100 crore in a year, its contribution cannot exceed ₹5 crore, even if 2% of its turnover is higher.
If an aggregator fails to pay on time, it must pay 12% annual interest on the overdue amount. The government is also consulting fund managers to design the delivery of these schemes.
The National Social Security Board for Gig and Platform Workers
The government has received approval to operationalise the National Social Security Board for Gig and Platform Workers . This board will focus on welfare measures for unorganised sector workers. It will recommend suitable social security programmes and help identify gig workers and aggregators.
How Many Gig Workers Are There in India?
As of May 2026, India has about 1 crore (10 million) gig and platform workers. This number is projected to reach 2.5 crore (25 million) by the end of the decade. Nearly 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 per month.
Challenges and Concerns
Experts have raised several concerns about the new rules.
The eligibility hurdle: Many workers do not get 90 days of work in a year. Their earnings depend on platform algorithms and fluctuating demand. "A worker may be logged in for several hours, waiting for an assignment, but may receive very few active gigs because of algorithmic allocation," said Ajay Trehan, CEO of AuthBridge.
Verification problems: There is no central system to track how many days a worker has worked across different platforms. "The legal computation methods have not factored in current Indian practical cases, the key being the absence of a central recording module for capturing days worked with different aggregators," said Debjani Aich, partner at CMS INDUSLAW.
Impact on women: The rule may disproportionately affect female workers who take maternity breaks or balance caregiving