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News18
15 hours ago
- Business
- News18
Explained: What Is Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana And How To Apply
Last Updated: The scheme is especially helpful for economically weaker sections who may not be able to afford high insurance premiums. The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) is a government-backed accident insurance scheme aimed at providing affordable financial protection to India's working population. Launched in 2015, the scheme has seen a 443 per cent growth in enrolment, rising from 9.40 crore in March 2016 to 51.06 crore by April 2025, according to the Ministry of Finance. Ensure financial stability for your loved ones with PM Suraksha Bima Yojana! Cumulative enrolments under PMSBY have risen by 443%, from 9.40 Cr in March 2016 to 51.06 Cr in April 2025. Affordable security at just ₹20 per year! #10YearsofJansurakshaSchemes #10YearsofPMSBY — Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) May 9, 2025 What Does PMSBY Offer? PMSBY offers accident insurance coverage at a very low cost: – Premium: Rs 20 per year Coverage: – Rs 2 lakh in case of accidental death or total disability – Rs 1 lakh for partial permanent disability The scheme is especially helpful for economically weaker sections who may not be able to afford high insurance premiums. Who Can Apply? Anyone can apply who: – Is between 18 and 70 years of age – Holds a savings account in a bank or post office The policy is renewed annually and the premium is automatically deducted every year from the account holder's linked bank account. How to Apply? You can apply both offline and online. Offline Method: – Visit your bank branch or post office where you hold a savings account. – Ask for the PMSBY form or download it from your bank's website or – Fill in your personal details like name, address, DOB, nominee name and relationship and account number. – Submit the form and consent for auto-debit of the Rs 20 premium. Online Method: – Log in to your bank's net banking portal. – Locate the PMSBY option under insurance or services. – Follow the instructions and give auto-debit consent. In case of a claim due to death or disability, the following documents are needed: – Aadhaar card – e-Shram card or UAN – FIR copy of the accident – Death or disability certificate – Medical certificate – Cause of death statement (if applicable) Who Runs the Scheme? PMSBY is offered through public and private insurance companies, in tie-up with scheduled commercial banks, regional rural banks and cooperative banks. The government regularly monitors claim settlements and addresses complaints with the help of banks and insurers. Key Initiatives for Wider Coverage To promote enrolment and awareness: – Local Gram Panchayat-level campaigns – Financial literacy driven by the RBI's Centre for Financial Literacy – Around 13 lakh Banking Correspondents (BCs) help with the last-mile service – 107 Digital Banking Units provide doorstep services Online platforms like Jan Samarth, PSB Loans in 59 Minutes and Stand-Up Mitra make credit and schemes easily accessible PMSBY is part of the government's broader push for financial inclusion and social security for all. With growing enrolments and increased awareness, the scheme aims to offer every citizen a basic safety net at a minimal cost. About the Author Business Desk A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover More Stay updated with all the latest business news, including market trends, stock updates, tax, IPO, banking finance, real estate, savings and investments. Get in-depth analysis, expert opinions, and real-time updates—only on News18. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Time of India
Man held for stealing mobile phones from train
Indore: Ratlam GRP arrested a person for stealing mobile phones of passengers on train by posing as a journalist associated with a newspaper and a YouTube channel. He allegedly used this false identity as a cover to gain access and carry out the thefts. A resident of Ratlam, 18-year-old Galiya Charpota had complained that his mobile phone was stolen on May 2 when he was travelling in the general coach of Veer Bhumi Express. Following the complaint, a case was registered at GRP Ratlam, and a detailed investigation was launched. With the aid of technical analysis, CCTV footage and intelligence inputs, the accused Kapil Sen, a resident of Agar Malwa, was apprehended and the stolen mobile phone was recovered. A further search of the accused's bag led to recovery of three additional mobile phones, ten SIM cards from various telecom companies, four ATM cards in different names, two Aadhaar cards, a driving licence, an e-Shram card, a bank passbook, and a memory card.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: 15K e-Shram card holders in city miss out on free ration
Even as the Supreme Court mandated the inclusion of e-Shram card holders in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and directed states to issue ration cards to them for free ration, nearly 15,000 such workers in Ludhiana district remain excluded from the ongoing quarterly wheat distribution. According to officials of the food supply department, these beneficiaries had completed their e-KYC and were verified to receive 15 kg of wheat per person for three months, to be distributed in May. To meet the anticipated demand, the department had also procured an additional 2,250.3 quintals of wheat during the recent procurement season. However, when ration distribution began on May 16 across the district, the names of these beneficiaries were missing from the updated beneficiary list in the e-Point of Sale (e-PoS) machines managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). As a result, despite being verified and having received ration cards, these workers were turned away from fair price shops. This gap persists despite a Supreme Court order issued on October 3, 2023, that directed states and Union Territories to integrate nearly 8 crore migrant and unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal into the food security net across the country. The apex court had then instructed states to issue ration cards and ensure their e-KYC is completed simultaneously, as reiterated in the Union government's affidavit filed on February 12, 2024. Officials from the food supply department in Ludhiana confirmed that the data of registered e-Shram workers was shared with the food department in May 2024. After this, area-wise surveys were conducted using Aadhaar and UAN details, with the assistance of ration depot holders, to complete the e-KYC of these workers. 'Despite these directives, ration cards issued after the last quarterly cycle are yet to be reflected in the NIC's e-PoS system,' they added. Depot holders are also bearing the brunt of the confusion.'These e-Shram card holders were supposed to get wheat this season. However, their names are still not visible on the e-PoS machines. In the past five days, I have turned away 47 such beneficiaries despite their e-KYC being completed,' said Karamjit Singh Arechha, national assistant secretary and state president of the All-India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation. Acknowledging the issue, Sartaj Singh Cheema, district food supplies controller (Ludhiana West) stated, 'This is a statewide issue. The NIC has uploaded the data from the last quarter, which excludes recently verified e-Shram beneficiaries. We have already procured the extra wheat and issued ration cards to these individuals. The matter has been escalated to higher authorities. The moment data is updated; they will get their due.'
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Do India's labour codes address informal workers' needs?
Pankil Goswami is a PhD candidate at the School of Social Work, McGill University. He is interested in researching informalisation of work through labour market flexibility and the consequence of precarious working conditions among people who work at the bottom in the informal economy. His PhD thesis examines the intricacies related to access of welfare policies for migrant construction workers in western India. His research and teaching are primarily interdisciplinary in nature and focused on labour, social policy, work and employment relations, and the transformation of welfare state. LESS ... MORE India's new labour codes aim to streamline regulations and protections, but their impact on informal workers remains uncertain. Four labour codes passed by the Government of India in recent years are due for implementation. These codes mark a historic step in governing labour in contemporary India. They include the Code on Wages, 2019; the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Industrial Relations Code, 2020. This codification is critical in ensuring that the informal workers of the country, who make up the majority of the workforce, receive due recognition and welfare. But how do these new labour codes address to the needs of unorganised workers? What impact will they have on the working lives of low-income workers? Are there any promising signs for this vast segment of informal workers engaged in precarious occupations across the country? The informal sector and the significant number of people employed in it are not new concerns in India. However, the labour codes offer policymakers an opportunity to rethink existing legislation and introduce changes that can offer relief to those who have been working in precarious occupations. India has one of the world's largest informal working populations. According to a recent estimate, the country has approximately 110 million informal sector workers, including those employed in agriculture, construction, and small factories; domestic workers; coastal and forest workers; ragpickers; autorickshaw drivers; street vendors; and power loom workers—a few among many overlooked professions. These workers are all around us yet remain largely invisible, especially to the state. Their invisibility manifests as a lack of written contracts, uncertainty in wages, irregular payments, and limited provisions for taking leaves. As of May 2022, more than 94 percent of workers registered on the e-Shram portal (national database of unorganised workers) reported an income of INR 10,000 or less. In many states, institutional structures such as the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Unorganised Workers' Social Security Board have failed to provide informal workers with safeguards like guaranteed minimum wages, workplace safety, and pension benefits. For example, an International Labour Organization (ILO) report found that in 2022, 70 percent of workers in the construction sector in India did not receive the prescribed minimum wage. However, the new labour codes are being hailed as the 'biggest labour reforms in independent India'. The central government is positioning them as an effort to effectively implement minimum wages, ensure a safe working environment, and provide social security to everyone. If backed by political will, they present a watershed opportunity to provide relief in the form of social security. Major concerns faced by informal workers Informal sector workers are plagued by concerns of non-payment of minimum wages, deplorable work environments, unhealthy living conditions, and a lack of access to social security benefits. These issues were also highlighted at Labour Codes and Unorganised Labour, a two-day workshop organised by the Asangathit Shramik Hit Rakshak Manch (Unorganised Workers Social Protection Platform) in September 2024 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The workshop brought together 32 informal workers' organisations from Gujarat to bridge the awareness gap by deepening their understanding of how the implementation of the four new labour codes could benefit informal workers. I attended this event as part of a 14-month ethnographic study, during which I worked with Bandhkam Mazdoor Sangathan, an Ahmedabad-based trade union. I also spent time with a civil society organisation called Aajeevika Bureau. The ethnography aimed to deconstruct the lived realities of migrant construction workers in Gujarat and their access to welfare schemes. Here are some of the challenges raised by the workers at the event: Non-payment of minimum wages Although minimum wages are guaranteed through the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, many informal workers still do not receive them. Construction workers, agricultural labourers, forest workers, and many others complained that wage theft by contractors, middlemen, and even employers has become the norm. Precarious working environment Many informal workers work in precarious conditions (construction, power looms, fisheries, factories), where occupational health hazards and accidents are common. Some precarious workers have also lost their lives owing to the lack of enforcement of safety regulations. Substandard living conditions in urban India Many informal workers do not have decent living facilities in rapidly urbanising India. A typical example would be the living conditions of construction workers, who often seasonally migrate to big cities and are forced to live on the streets or in makeshift tents at construction sites. Lack of formal sector benefits Informal workers lack formal sector benefits such as written contracts, salaried employment, and safe and non-exploitative working environments. Additionally, they face constant uncertainty about work not being available for a longer period and even unemployment. In an effort to address these challenges, the Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the e-Shram portal in 2021 for creating a database of informal workers across the country and linking them to important welfare and social security provisions. Currently, more than 30 crore workers are registered in the e-Shram portal. Once registered, workers can access various welfare schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. While the state encourages workers to register on the e-Shram portal, informal workers at the event indicated that they want the government to go beyond administrative processes and work on improving the social protection being offered to them. Unorganised workers' welfare board: A possible solution? The four new labour codes were introduced to rationalise existing labour laws by consolidating them under an umbrella legislation. According to the central government, this would help solve confusion related to the multiplicity of labour laws, while providing informal workers with much-needed social security and decent working conditions. The most significant code aimed at providing welfare to informal workers is the Code on Social Security, 2020. Under this code, there is a clause stipulating the formation of a National Social Security Board and a State Unorganised Workers' Welfare Board, which have been touted as critical to addressing the needs of unorganised workers. However, the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008, already provided a similar mandate. Although it has been a decade and a half since the act was passed, these boards are yet to operate at full capacity or generate any meaningful impact. The governments of many states, including Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, have formed unorganised workers' welfare boards. But my fieldwork in Gujarat revealed that the board has limited financial resources to formulate and implement welfare schemes. It is a mammoth task for state governments to operationalise state unorganised workers' welfare boards and run welfare schemes for them. These are some of the challenges: Understanding the needs of informal workers: Informal workers are spread across a wide range of occupations, and it is challenging to build viable financial resources to fund these welfare schemes for a sustained period of time. Structural transformation: Many professions that fall within the unorganised category are inherently exploitative. While these boards may provide welfare in the form of schemes, can they guarantee minimum wages, provide an accident-free working environment, and mitigate occupational diseases? Lack of clarity: Workers and unions remain unsure about how the new labour codes could benefit them. Effective dialogue with state authorities is necessary to clarify the various clauses and their benefits and gather feedback on which micro-policy additions can be made according to the needs of different occupations within the informal sector. Non-functioning boards: Some states have already formed unorganised workers' welfare boards, but they are practically non-functional. The hope is that the renewed legislation under the Code on Social Security will force these state governments to operationalise these boards, which have long been in limbo. Despite these challenges, the establishment of Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Boards across all Indian states offers a positive example to follow. These boards serve as dedicated public institutions and have gradually begun to facilitate constructive changes, primarily by running welfare schemes for migrant construction workers in the country. For example, the board mandates the collection of a cess from construction sites, which funds welfare initiatives for construction workers. Each state's Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board will finance its welfare schemes through this tax mechanism. But as far as other unorganised workers (that is, those not engaged in construction work) are concerned, a similar system would need to be established. Devising such a mechanism is highly challenging due to the range of occupations and the informality that defines them. In such cases, state governments must provide the financial resources necessary for running welfare schemes. However, funding such resources has become a matter of public debate, as exemplified by the recent discourse on freebies. A potential roadmap for the future The four new labour codes present a crucial opportunity for unorganised workers to collectively organise and meaningfully engage with the state to put forward their demands. The codes were introduced with the promise of universalising minimum wages and ensuring the timely payment of wages. The consolidation of 29 existing laws into four comprehensive codes is meant to uphold the dignity of unorganised workers across the country. The need of the hour, however, is for workers and organisations that advocate for workers' rights to hold public institutions such as the welfare boards accountable. These labour codes are unlikely to make a difference until the central and state governments actively participate in dialogue with unorganised workers and their unions to understand their demands. This would help the state identify sector-specific challenges and determine the necessary steps to improve working conditions and design appropriate schemes. A strong political will is critical to understanding and meeting the needs of unorganised workers. Without it, the new labour codes are toothless. This article was originally published on India Development Review. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Karnataka govt cancels 3,000 fake labour cards in Dharwad district
Hubballi: The state government have cancelled around 3,000 fake labour cards in the district in a bid to weed out bogus beneficiaries. The fake cards were registered during Covid-19 times, labour officer from Hubballi Marikamba Hulkoti told TOI. "We are working to find out such cards. Our top officers are directed to verify the original workers. The beneficiaries need to provide documents to avail of a labour card. If anyone is wrongly included in fake cards, they will be given them back after verification of the card," she added on the eve of Labour Day. Of the 1.9 lakh cards registered with Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board and 1.3 lakh with Karnataka State Unorganised Workers Social Security Board , only about 60,000 received benefits through welfare schemes. According to a source, a total of 3.8 lakh e-Shram cards were provided under the Karnataka State Unorganised Workers Social Security Board. The state govt launched a scheme for gig workers and workers employed as independent contractors or freelancers on a project basis also receive accidental benefits. Labour officer Akbar Mulla of Dharwad said gig worker registration has started. Around 1,319 gig workers registered in the district. Labour Officer, Hubballi, Marikamba Hulkoti told TOI that around 50,875 beneficiaries of the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board benefited from schemes such as scholarships, financial assistance for marriage and health benefits. A mobile clinic vehicle was sanctioned by the department as part of a pilot project. The mobile clinic has hi-tech and advanced medical equipment. Apart from providing first aid, various tests, including blood and urine tests, life-saving drugs, ECG, and other services, will be available in mobile clinics. The mobile clinic will operate around the city, she added.
