Hyderabad: The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT) said that there are many things lacking the central government’s newly launched national database for unorganized workers called e-Shram portal, however,
The e-Shram portal, by the Union Ministry of Labor and Employment is a national database of unorganized workers, that includes construction workers, migrant workers, gig & platform workers, street vendors, domestic workers agriculture workers, etc,.
However, the portal has many shortcomings which need instant changes to meet the urgent needs of workers, especially in the light of the heartbreaking exodus of migrant workers that happened during last year’s lockdown, said Shaikh Salauddin, president of TGPWU.
TGPWU and IFAT welcomed the portal and said that the implementation of the portal will provide unorganized workers with much-needed social security benefits, Salauddin stated in a press release.
IFAT and TGPWU stated that the arrangements for off-line registration are needed, given that all workers may not be able to access the online portal, and imposing the condition of Aadhar would exclude workers without Aadhar cards from the process.
The workers’ platforms also stated that many workers have to change mobile numbers frequently, and as a result, may not always be able to access the Aadhar-linked mobile.
Furthermore, Shaikh Salauddin said that the suggestions that IFAT and TGPWU have given to the state government and central government to improve the portal include allowing multiple forms of ID, allow the latest numbers to be used, allow offline registration and increase ease of registration.