The Union government plans a massive social security coverage scheme for 450 million workers, primarily for those in the unorganised sector. Formal sector workers who do not enjoy the benefits will also be a part of it.The benefits are to include all the branches under the International Labour Organization’s social security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No 102). These cover preventive and general practitioner care, benefits for sickness, unemployment, old age, employment injury, maternity, invalidity and some others.
The idea is that about a dozen laws would be merged into a single law or code. Officials in the labour and employment ministry told Business Standard the guidelines were being framed. The government will identify a threshold income beyond which citizens have to pay for the benefits. The workforce will be divided into three parts — a section that will pay, a second one that can partially pay and a third layer for which the government will pay.