Parliament Question: Welfare of Labourers in Jaunpur

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2672 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 WELFARE OF LABOURERS IN JAUNPUR †2672. SHRI BABU SINGH KUSHWAHA: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a)whether the Government is aware that due to lack of industrial units and agricultural crisis in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, there is large scale migration of unskilled labourers to other States and if so, the details thereof; (b)whether the Government has data of registered migrant workers of the said district under the e-Shram portal and the details of mechanism put in place to provide the said workers with social security and protection in the destination States and if so, the details thereof, category wise; (c)whether any specific timeframe has been set for ensuring minimum wages and pension for gig workers and labourers in unorganised sectors under the new Labour Code, 2025 and if so, the details thereof; and (d)whether the Government proposes to establish a Regional Training Centre in the said district for skill development of workers so as to encourage employment generation at the local level and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (d): To check large scale migration of unskilled labourers to other States, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is implementing a number of welfare schemes/programmes such as the Vikshit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VBGRAMG), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAYG), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY), Rural Self Employment Training Institutes(RSETIs), National Social Contd..2/-:: 2 :: Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Watershed Development Component (WDC) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) for overall development of country. The PM Vishwakarma Scheme was launched on 17.09.2023 to provide end-to- end support to artisans and crafts people of 18 trades who work with their hands and tools, including carpenter, mason. Under the scheme, PM Vishwakarma beneficiaries across the country are provided support for marketing, branding, packaging, skill upgradation etc. The Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched eShram portal, a National Database of the Unorganised Workers on 26th August, 2021. The main objective of the eShram portal is to create a national database of unorganised workers including migrant workers seeded with Aadhaar, and facilitate delivery under existing Social Security and Welfare Schemes to such workers. It allows an unorganised worker to register himself or herself on the portal on a self- declaration basis. 21,56,619 unorganised workers including migrant workers from Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh have been registered on eShram portal as on 02.03.2026. However, 17169 workers have migrated from Jaunpur District and 2869 workers have migrated to Jaunpur District as per data available on eShram Portal till 02.03.2026. In keeping with the vision of the Budget Announcement 2024-25 on developing eShram as a One-Stop-Solution for unorganized workers to have access to various social security schemes, Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the eShram– “One-Stop-Solution” on 21st October 2024. eShram– “One-Stop- Solution” entails integration of different social security/ welfare schemes at single portal i.e. eShram. This enables unorganized workers registered on eShram to access social security schemes and see benefits availed by them so far, through eShram. So far, fourteen (14) schemes of different Central Ministries/ Departments have already been integrated/ mapped with the eShram to enhance social security coverage to unorganized workers including Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PMSVANidhi), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), the Vikshit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VBGRAMG), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Contd..3/-:: 3 :: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandna Yojana (PMMVY), etc. Apart from the above, eShram has linkages with National Career Service (NCS) for Job Opportunities , Skill India Digital Hub(SIDH) for Skill Development and Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) for Pension. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, 1979 has been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020. The OSH Code, provides for decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievances redressal mechanisms, toll free helpline, protection from abuse and exploitation, and social security to all category of organised and unorganized workers including migrant workers. The Code will be applicable to every establishment in which ten or more inter-state migrant workers are employed or were employed on any day in the preceding twelve months. The Code on Social Security, 2020 has come into force on 21.11.2025 with the objective to consolidate and simplify the existing social security laws into a single framework and to extend social security coverage to all workers, including organized, unorganized, gig, platform, and self-employed workers, by ensuring universal access to social security benefits, promoting portability of benefits across employments and States, enabling the Central and State Governments to frame appropriate schemes, leveraging technology for efficient delivery, and clearly defining the roles of governments, employers, and aggregators in order to provide comprehensive social protection to the workforce in line with evolving labour market conditions. The Code provides for framing of suitable social security measures for gig workers and platform workers on matters relating to life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old age protection, etc. Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM), launched in 2015, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) provides skill, re-skill, and up-skill Contd..4/-:: 4 :: training through an extensive network of skill development centres under major schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), and the Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all sections of the society across the country, to enhance the skills and employability of the working age population. These initiatives collectively promote National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)- aligned skilling, digital and financial literacy, soft skills and entrepreneurship, and are supported by large-scale mobilization and awareness campaigns under the 'Skill India' banner, including Rozgar Melas, apprenticeship drives, and digital outreach via the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH). *****