India’s eShram portal has registered more than 31.82 crore unorganised workers, according to figures released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on 3 August 2026. Fifteen central government welfare schemes have been integrated or mapped to the platform. These are significant achievements for a country where millions of workers remain outside formal employment and social security systems. Yet the numbers reveal little about whether workers can obtain benefits without confronting administrative obstacles, losing wages or compromising their personal information.
Launched on 26 August 2021, eShram was conceived as the National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW), covering migrant, gig and platform workers, among others. Each registered worker receives a Universal Account Number (UAN). The introduction of the One-Stop Solution on 21 October 2024 expanded the platform’s scope by bringing welfare schemes together through a common digital interface.
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The integration covers schemes related to insurance, healthcare, housing and employment, while separate linkages provide access to pensions and skill development. A common database should improve coordination among government departments and make it easier to identify workers who qualify for assistance. However, registration does not automatically establish eligibility for benefits, and integration alone cannot guarantee their delivery.
Four aspects of the system require closer scrutiny: address verification, Aadhaar authentication, digital access and protection of personal data.
Migrant workers and the problem of permanent addresses
Millions of unorganised workers move between states, cities and workplaces in search of employment. Many live in informal settlements or rented accommodation, often without documentary proof of residence. Eviction, demolition and relocation can make their addresses even less stable.
For these workers, a permanent address may have little connection with where they currently live or work. An address recorded during registration can become outdated, while discrepancies between documents may complicate verification under individual welfare schemes.
The eShram portal allows registered workers to update their current address, either online or through Common Service Centres (CSCs). This provision is useful, but its effectiveness depends on how easily workers can make corrections and whether the departments administering individual schemes accept the updated information.
A national database intended to support migrant workers should accommodate mobility without requiring repeated verification that becomes difficult whenever someone changes residence. The promise of portable social security depends on the procedures followed by the schemes linked to eShram.
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Aadhaar authentication and exclusion risks
eShram relies on Aadhaar-based electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) verification. Aadhaar helps establish identity and can reduce duplicate registrations. For a database of this size, reliable identification is an administrative necessity.
Nevertheless, authentication can create difficulties for genuine workers. Mobile numbers may change or become inaccessible. Names and other personal details may differ across official records. Women who change their names after marriage, for example, can encounter discrepancies between documents.
Changes in personal information may require workers to update their Aadhaar records before the corresponding details can be reflected in eShram. Each additional procedure creates the possibility of delay.
The government has provided an alternative for workers without an Aadhaar-linked mobile number. They can register through biometric authentication at a CSC or State Seva Kendra. This reduces dependence on mobile-based verification, although it may still require travel and time away from work.
The important test is how the system responds when authentication fails or records do not match. Workers should have access to straightforward correction procedures and human assistance rather than being left to navigate several offices or digital platforms.
Digital access carries a cost for daily-wage workers
The digital divide extends beyond smartphone ownership and internet connectivity. Many unorganised workers use shared devices, have limited familiarity with online procedures or depend on others to complete applications. Unreliable connectivity can add to the difficulty.
eShram provides assisted registration through Common Service Centres and operates a helpdesk on 14434 and 18008896811 from 9 am to 6 pm, including Sundays. Workers can also use a dedicated grievance portal.
These arrangements acknowledge the need for assistance. Their effectiveness, however, should be assessed against the circumstances of people whose income depends on being present at work.
A construction worker seeking to correct an error may have to travel to an enrolment centre, wait for assistance and make another visit if the problem remains unresolved. For someone paid by the day, even a routine administrative procedure can impose a substantial cost.
Digital integration can reduce paperwork and the need to approach multiple departments. The savings will be meaningful to workers only if registration, corrections and grievances can be handled without repeated visits or prolonged delays.
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The government should therefore measure the time required to resolve complaints, the frequency of unsuccessful authentication and the number of workers who abandon applications because of procedural difficulties. Such indicators would provide a more useful assessment of accessibility than registration figures alone.
Data protection in an expanding welfare database
As eShram expands its links with welfare schemes, protecting personal information becomes increasingly important. The database contains information about economically vulnerable workers, while integration involves the exchange of data across government systems.
The platform’s objectives include sharing information with authorised central and state government agencies for welfare delivery. Such arrangements require effective controls over access, storage and subsequent use of personal data.
A security breach could expose workers to fraudulent calls, phishing attempts or financial exploitation. The potential harm is greater when individuals have limited resources or experience in identifying digital fraud.
India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the Rules notified in November 2025 provide a developing regulatory framework, with important provisions subject to phased commencement. Government agencies administering eShram and connected schemes must ensure that data collection and sharing comply with applicable safeguards as they come into force.
Workers should also be able to understand which information is collected, how it is used and where they can seek redress if something goes wrong. Stronger data protection would support confidence in a system that depends on extensive information sharing.
Measuring eShram by benefits delivered
The expansion of eShram offers an opportunity to improve social security coverage among workers who have historically been difficult for governments to identify and support. Its centralised architecture can reduce duplication and improve coordination, provided the participating departments make effective use of it.
The next stage should place greater emphasis on outcomes. Registration totals and the number of integrated schemes should be accompanied by evidence of successful enrolment, benefits received, grievances resolved and difficulties encountered by workers.
Technology can simplify welfare administration, but workers still need accessible assistance when records are incorrect or systems fail. A daily-wage worker should not have to sacrifice a day’s earnings to establish eligibility or correct an avoidable error.
The government has demonstrated that it can register unorganised workers on an unprecedented scale. It must now demonstrate that the system can deliver social security with comparable efficiency.
Sushmita Srivastava is Associate Professor, Organisation and Leadership Studies, and Aditya Fulzele Fellow Programme Management (FPM) scholar at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR).