e-Shram Portal 5-Year Milestone: Building India's Unorganised Workforce Database
The e-Shram Portal, launched on 26 August 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, completes five years of operation as India's first Aadhaar-seeded National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW). The portal provides each registered worker with a unique 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and has evolved into a comprehensive one-stop digital platform integrating welfare schemes, employment opportunities, skilling services, and pension benefits.
Registration Statistics and Demographic Breakdown
As of 18 August 2026, the portal has achieved 31.89 crore total registrations. Gender distribution shows women account for 54.28% of registered workers while men constitute 45.72%. The age profile reveals 0.08% of registrants are aged 16-18 years, 55.21% are aged 18-40 years, 24.18% are aged 40-50 years, and 20.53% are above 50 years (as of 20 August 2026). The top occupational categories with highest registrations include agriculture, domestic and household workers, construction, and apparel sectors. Geographically, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have recorded the highest registrations.
Platform Evolution and Integrated Services
The portal transformed into a unified service delivery platform with the launch of the e-Shram One-Stop Solution on 21 October 2024, aligning with the Union Budget 2024-25 vision. It now integrates 15 social security and welfare schemes including Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).
Through the portal, workers can enroll in insurance schemes offering ₹2 lakh for accidental death or permanent disability and ₹1 lakh for partial disability under PMSBY, and ₹2 lakh life insurance cover under PMJJBY. The platform also provides access to the National Career Service for employment opportunities, Skill India Digital Hub for skilling and apprenticeship, and myScheme for eligibility identification. Eligible workers can enroll in the PM-SYM Scheme which offers a minimum assured pension of ₹3,000 per month upon attaining age 60.
Special Features and Target Groups
The portal includes multilingual functionality in 22 languages powered by the Bhashini platform, introduced in 2025. It captures family details of migrant workers and enables sharing of construction workers' data with States and Union Territories to facilitate registration with respective Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Boards. Approximately 11.5 lakh platform workers have registered on the portal, supporting formulation of social security measures for gig and platform workers.
Registration Process and Eligibility
Registration is available to any worker aged 16 years and above engaged in the unorganised sector, excluding income tax-payers or members of EPFO or ESIC. Coverage includes construction workers, migrant workers, gig and platform workers, street vendors, domestic workers, agricultural workers, and other unorganised workers. Registration is completely free through the e-Shram Portal website, Common Service Centres, State Seva Kendras, or through State Government field officers at district and sub-district levels, requiring only Aadhaar number and mobile number for eKYC.
Most registrations have been completed through Common Service Centres (CSCs), followed by self-registration. The portal serves as a digital infrastructure for targeted welfare delivery, portability of benefits, and evidence-based policymaking for India's unorganised workforce.