Blitz Bureau
INDIA has made significant strides in enhancing its social protection coverage through a comprehensive data-pooling exercise. By utilizing encrypted Aadhaar as a unique identifier across 34 major Central schemes, over 200 crore records were processed to identify unique beneficiaries.
The exercise revealed that 65 per cent of India’s population (92 crore people) is covered by at least one social protection benefit (cash and inkind both), with 48.8 per cent receiving cash benefits. India’s social protection coverage, thus, doubled from 24.4 per cent in 2021 to 48.8 per cent in 2024 as per ILO’s World Social Protection Report (WSPR) 2024-26, by acknowledging existing Central social protection schemes which hadn’t been considered earlier.
The country’s present social protection coverage assessment by ILO of 48.8 per cent is still an underestimation, as it does not account for inkind benefits provided to the citizens of the country, such as food security and housing benefits; and social protection schemes administered by the states. The actual social protection coverage of India is expected to be much higher after this data is taken into account.
In this context, the Ministry has been consistently following up with ILO through a focussed high-level dialogue. In a bilateral discussion held between the Secretary (L&E) and DG, ILO, during the 353rd ILO Governing Body meeting in Geneva recently, ILO shared that housing and food security are part of a set of extended indicators (based on United Nations-Sustainable Development Goals) adopted by them. Therefore, such schemes and related data will also be considered by ILO.
The Ministry of Labour & Employment is actively collaborating with state governments and ILO for a national social protection data pooling exercise to obtain a holistic picture of social protection coverage in India. Labour Departments of state governments are playing the nodal role in compilation of respective State specific data and sharing the same with the Central Government for further consolidation, verification and de-duplication.
This data pooling exercise will not only strengthen India’s global reputation as a social protection pioneer but also facilitate the Central Government, states and UTs to optimise welfare spending and move closer towards sustainable financing of social protection. It will help the States in identifying unique beneficiaries under state-specific social protection schemes. The exercise will also reinforce India’s position in negotiating trade and social security agreements with other countries.
