PIB Tracker101 crore Indians now under a social-security net, says the ILO
India's social-protection systems now cover about 101 crore people — over 68% of the population — a figure highlighted by the International Labour Organization, the Labour Minister said, alongside a sharp rise in employment generated per point of GDP growth.
What happened
- India's social protection now covers about 101 crore people — over 68% of the population.
- The figure was highlighted by the ILO at the BRICS Labour Ministers' Meeting in Hyderabad.
- The ILO representative congratulated India on covering over a billion citizens.
- The minister spoke at the 4th Global Industrial Relations Summit, New Delhi.
- He said employment per percentage point of GDP growth has risen sharply over twelve years.
For Prelims
- The claim: about 101 crore people (over 68% of the population) under India's social protection.
- Source: the ILO, which tracks coverage in its World Social Protection Report.
- ILO: a UN specialised agency (founded 1919) with a tripartite structure — governments, employers, workers.
- Coverage pillars: AB PM-JAY (health), PMJJBY/PMSBY (insurance), APY and PM-SYM (pension), EPFO/ESIC.
- e-Shram: the National Database of Unorganised Workers (31.78 crore+ registered) linking informal workers to welfare.
- Summit: the 4th Global Industrial Relations Summit, by AIOE with FICCI and the ILO.
For UPSC: A labour-and-welfare item. Use it for social security for the unorganised sector, the ILO and international labour standards, the labour codes and industrial relations, and measuring welfare coverage versus adequacy.
What it is NOT: This measures the number of people covered by at least one social-protection benefit — not the adequacy, value or quality of that protection.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS2.12 · GS3.2 · Linkage L2
Anchor
A billion Indians inside a safety net — coverage the ILO now counts among the world's largest.
Substantiation (data)
About 101 crore people, over 68% of the population, per ILO recognition at the BRICS Labour Ministers' Meeting; employment per point of GDP growth sharply up.
Exemplification
PM-JAY, PMJJBY/PMSBY, Atal Pension Yojana, EPFO/ESIC and the e-Shram database together build the coverage.
Problematisation
Coverage counts enrolment, not adequacy — benefit levels, portability and gig/platform workers' protection remain weak.
Way-forward
Implement the labour codes' social-security provisions, raise benefit adequacy, and make entitlements portable across states and employers.
Position
Breadth of coverage is a real achievement; the next frontier is depth — protection that actually protects.
Deploys into: Vulnerable sections + inclusive growth (GS2.12, GS3.2) · social security for the unorganised sector, the ILO and labour standards, and coverage versus adequacy.
Ministry of Labour & Employment · 2026-07-31 · PRID 2292305 · PIB source ↗