A draft has been released. It will provide social security cover to the entire workforce in the country, including self-employed and agricultural workers.
What does the code say?
- It will cover every working person whether he/she belongs to the organised sector or the unorganised sector in the country under it. Thus, for the first time, agricultural workers along with self-employed people will be covered under the social security cover.
- Even factories employing single worker will have to contribute towards social security benefits.
- It will cover any factory, mine, shop, plantation, charitable organisations and all establishments or households employing casual, fixed-term, part-time, informal, apprentice, domestic and home-based workers.
- If such establishments or factories fail to contribute towards the social security schemes of the workers, they will be liable to pay compensation.
- It even covers households employing domestic help and they will also contribute towards schemes, including gratuity for the worker and provident fund.
- It proposes, National Social Security Council (NSSC), chaired by the Prime Minister to streamline and make policy on social security schemes related to all the Ministries.
- NSSC’s other members will include Union Finance Minister, Labour Minister, Health and Family Welfare Minister along with employer and employees’ representatives.
- It will co-ordinate between central and State governments, monitor the implementation of social security schemes, regulate funds collected under various social security schemes, among others