Swiggy, Zomato, Uber asked to register gig workers by June 21: Report
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has directed major app-based aggregator platforms — including Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Ola, Rapido, Blinkit, and Zepto — to register their gig and platform workers on the e-Shram portal by June 21, 2026.
The directive is aimed at extending social security benefits — including health insurance, accident insurance, and pension provisions — to millions of gig workers who have historically operated outside formal labour protections.
The mandate follows the Code on Social Security, 2020, which came into force on November 21, 2025, and for the first time provided statutory definitions of "gig workers" and "platform workers" in Indian law, along with provisions for their social security coverage.
The Ministry launched an Aggregator Module on the e-Shram portal in December 2024 for platforms to register themselves and their workers; as of June 2026, 12 major aggregators have been onboarded, including Amazon, Urban Company, and Porter.
Under the Code on Social Security, 2020, aggregators are required to contribute between 1% and 2% of their annual turnover to a Social Security Fund for gig and platform workers, subject to a cap of 5% of total payments made to workers.
Registration on e-Shram provides workers with a unique 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN), enabling access to government welfare schemes and social protection benefits across platforms and employers.
Code on Social Security, 2020 — Gig and Platform Workers Framework
The Code on Social Security, 2020 is one of four Labour Codes passed by Parliament that consolidate 29 central labour laws into a simplified framework. It received Presidential assent on September 28, 2020, and came into force on November 21, 2025. Crucially, it is the first Indian legislation to formally recognise gig workers and platform workers as a distinct category requiring social protection.
Key Details
- Gig worker (definition): A person who performs work or participates in a work arrangement outside the traditional employer-employee relationship, earning income from such activities (Section 2(35) of the Code).
- Platform worker (definition): A person accessing organisations or individuals using online platforms to provide specific services for payment, outside the traditional employer-employee relationship (Section 2(61)).
- Aggregator (Schedule VII): Nine categories of platforms are listed, including ride-sharing services, food and grocery delivery, content and media services, and e-marketplaces.
- Aggregator contribution: Section 114 mandates aggregators to contribute 1–2% of annual turnover to a Social Security Fund, capped at 5% of total payments to workers.
- The Code does not reclassify gig workers as employees; it creates a separate category that is eligible for specific social security measures without conferring employment status.
The June 21 deadline for registration is a direct enforcement action under the Code on Social Security, 2020's provisions, operationalising the statutory obligation on aggregators to account for and protect their platform workforce.
e-Shram Portal — National Database of Unorganised Workers
The e-Shram portal was launched in August 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment as a centralised National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW). It is the first national database designed to capture informal and unorganised sector workers to streamline social protection delivery.
Key Details
- Workers register on e-Shram to receive a Universal Account Number (UAN) — a unique 12-digit identifier — and an e-Shram card.
- The portal enables targeted delivery of government welfare schemes (health insurance under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, accident cover, etc.) directly linked to the registered identity.
- As of recent counts, over 30 crore unorganised workers have registered on e-Shram.
- The Aggregator Module launched in December 2024 allows platforms to register bulk worker data, reducing the burden on individual gig workers to self-register.
- e-Shram is managed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment; it interfaces with other government databases including EPFO, ESIC, and PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat).
Mandatory platform registration on e-Shram is the implementation mechanism through which the Code on Social Security's protections become tangible for gig workers — registration is the gateway to benefits.
Labour Code Consolidation and the Four Labour Codes
Parliament passed four Labour Codes between 2019 and 2020, consolidating 29 Central labour laws into a modernised framework to improve ease of compliance and extend coverage. They have been passed but came into force in a phased manner depending on states finalising rules.
Key Details
- Code on Wages, 2019 — consolidates Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Wages Act, Equal Remuneration Act, and Payment of Bonus Act.
- Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — consolidates Trade Unions Act, Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, and Industrial Disputes Act.
- Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2020 — consolidates 13 laws including the Factories Act.
- Code on Social Security, 2020 — consolidates 9 laws including the EPF Act, ESI Act, Gratuity Act, Maternity Benefit Act, and others; adds new provisions for gig/platform workers.
- A key criticism of the Codes has been that states must frame their own rules before the Codes take effect in their territory, creating uneven implementation across India.
The directive to register gig workers by June 21 represents one of the early concrete enforcement steps under the Code on Social Security, 2020 after it finally came into force in late 2025 — nearly five years after being passed.
- Registration deadline: June 21, 2026
- Platforms directed: Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Ola, Rapido, Blinkit, Zepto (and others already onboarded: Amazon, Urban Company, Porter, Ecom Express)
- Total aggregators onboarded on e-Shram (as of 2026): 12
- Legal basis: Code on Social Security, 2020 (came into force November 21, 2025)
- Aggregator contribution to Social Security Fund: 1–2% of annual turnover (Section 114), capped at 5% of total worker payments
- e-Shram portal launched: August 2021
- Aggregator Module on e-Shram launched: December 2024
- Total unorganised workers registered on e-Shram: Over 30 crore
- Worker identifier: 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN)
- Ministry responsible: Ministry of Labour and Employment
- Gig worker — first statutory definition in India: Code on Social Security, 2020