Centre notifies National Social Security Board for unorganised, gig and platform workers
In one line: On 30 October 2026, the Labour Ministry notified the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020, chaired by the Union Labour Minister.
Published 31 October 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the constitution of the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020, by Gazette notification S.O. 5884(E), announced through a PIB release on 30 October 2026. The Board is chaired by the Union Minister for Labour and Employment. It includes representatives of the Central and State governments, aggregator companies, employers, civil society organisations, workers' unions and associations of gig and platform workers. It must meet at least three times a year and has a three-year term. The notification does not announce any new scheme, eligibility rule or payment; it creates the body that will recommend and monitor them.
The Board has six functions: recommend suitable schemes to the Centre for different groups of unorganised, gig and platform workers; advise the Centre on matters of administering the Code referred to it; monitor centrally administered welfare schemes for these workers; review record-keeping done at the State level; review expenditure from the social security fund and account; and do any other work the Centre assigns. The Code provides for one Board with two compositions. Under section 6, for unorganised workers, it has 40 nominated members drawn from workers, employers, civil society, Parliament, Central ministries, States and Union Territories, with the Labour Secretary as Vice-Chairperson. Under section 114(6), for gig and platform matters, it includes five representatives each of aggregators and of gig and platform workers, five State representatives by rotation, the Director General of ESIC and the Central Provident Fund Commissioner.
The step follows the coming into force of the four labour codes on 21 November 2025 and the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026, notified on 8 May 2026. Those rules make a gig or platform worker eligible for benefits after at least 90 days of work for one aggregator, or 120 days across several, in the previous financial year. Under section 114(4) of the Code, aggregators are to contribute between 1% and 2% of annual turnover to a social security fund, capped at 5% of amounts paid or payable to gig and platform workers. The Ministry presents the Board as bringing gig workers into the formal welfare system. The move responds to long-standing demands for social security for workers outside traditional employment; its value will depend on the schemes the Board recommends and the Centre notifies.
Prelims facts
- The Labour Ministry notified the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020 (PIB, 30 October 2026).
- The Board is chaired by the Union Labour Minister, meets at least three times a year and has a three-year term.
- Section 6 of the Code sets the Board's composition for unorganised workers (40 nominated members); section 114(6) sets its composition for gig and platform workers, with five aggregator and five worker representatives.
- Aggregators are to contribute 1% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of payments to gig and platform workers (section 114(4)).
- Gig workers qualify for benefits after 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days across several in a year, under the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026.
Quick recall
- Under which law is the National Social Security Board constituted?
- The Code on Social Security, 2020.
- Who chairs the National Social Security Board?
- The Union Minister for Labour and Employment.
- How often must the Board meet, and what is its term?
- At least three times a year; three years.
- Which section sets the Board's composition for unorganised workers?
- Section 6 (40 nominated members).
- Which section makes the Board act for gig and platform workers?
- Section 114(6).
- Aggregator contribution under section 114(4)?
- 1% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of amounts paid or payable to gig and platform workers.
- Eligibility for gig worker benefits under the 2026 Central Rules?
- 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days across several in the previous financial year.
- When did the four labour codes come into force?
- 21 November 2025.
Prelims practice question
Under the Code on Social Security, 2020, the contribution of an aggregator towards social security of gig and platform workers is:
- 0.5% to 1% of annual turnover, with no cap
- 1% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of amounts paid or payable to gig and platform workers
- 2% to 5% of annual profit
- A fixed amount per worker notified by the State Government
Show answer
Answer: (b) 1% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of amounts paid or payable to gig and platform workers. Section 114(4) of the Code sets the aggregator contribution at not less than 1% and not more than 2% of annual turnover, and a proviso caps it at 5% of the amounts paid or payable by the aggregator to gig and platform workers.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Labour codes and social security for informal, gig and platform workers.
- How to use this
Use the Board and the 2026 rules as concrete evidence of progress in implementing the Code on Social Security after the codes took effect.
- The four labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025; the Social Security (Central) Rules followed on 8 May 2026.
- In October 2026 the Centre notified the National Social Security Board for unorganised, gig and platform workers, chaired by the Union Labour Minister.
- Aggregators must contribute 1% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of payouts, to fund gig workers' social security.
- How to use this
Use the Board to show that informalisation can be partly offset by extending social security to gig and platform workers.
- Under section 114(6) of the Code on Social Security, 2020, the Board includes five representatives each of aggregators and of gig and platform workers.
- Gig workers qualify for benefits after 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days across several in a financial year.
Mains practice question
The notification of the National Social Security Board for unorganised, gig and platform workers marks a new stage in implementing the Code on Social Security, 2020. Examine the Board's role and the challenges in extending social security to gig and platform workers. (250 words)
Model answer
On 30 October 2026, the Labour Ministry notified the National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and Gig and Platform Workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020, about a year after the four labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025.
Role of the Board
- Chaired by the Union Labour Minister; meets at least three times a year; three-year term.
- Recommends schemes for different groups of unorganised, gig and platform workers.
- Monitors centrally administered welfare schemes and reviews State-level records and fund expenditure.
- Advises the Centre on administering the Code.
Representation
- Section 6 composition: 40 nominated members from workers, employers, civil society, Parliament, ministries and States.
- Section 114(6) composition for gig matters: five aggregator and five worker representatives, ESIC and EPFO heads, five States by rotation.
Supporting framework
- Aggregators to contribute 1% to 2% of turnover, capped at 5% of payouts to workers.
- Eligibility: 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days across several (Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026).
Challenges
- The notification creates no scheme or payment; delivery depends on Board recommendations and Central notification.
- Gig workers move across platforms, making day counts and records hard to track.
- Advisory Board: it recommends but cannot itself fund or enforce.
- Coordination with States, which keep their own Boards and records.
Way forward
- Notify schemes with clear timelines; portable benefits linked to a single worker identity.
- Transparent reporting of aggregator contributions and fund use.
The Board gives gig workers a formal voice; its value will be judged by how quickly that voice becomes benefits.
The basics
Why this matters
India's workforce is mostly informal, and app-based delivery and ride work has added a new group that fits neither the old idea of an employee nor that of a self-employed trader. The Code on Social Security, 2020 names gig and platform workers and brings them under social security. The Board notified on 30 October 2026 is the body meant to turn that recognition into schemes.
Who is who
The Code separates two newer categories from the wider pool of unorganised workers. A Gig worker works outside a traditional employer-employee relationship. A platform worker is a gig worker who finds work through an online platform run by an Aggregator.
- 1ChairpersonUnion Minister for Labour and Employment
- 2Section 6 compositionFor unorganised workers: 40 nominated members from workers, employers, civil society, Parliament, ministries, States and UTs
- 3Section 114(6) compositionFor gig and platform workers: five aggregator and five worker representatives, five States by rotation
- 4Ex officio members for gig mattersDirector General of ESIC and the Central Provident Fund Commissioner
What the Board does
It does not pay benefits itself. It recommends schemes, monitors those the Centre runs, reviews State records and fund spending, and advises the Centre. It must meet at least three times a year and has a three-year term.
- 11% to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of payouts to workers
- 2Contributions go into a social security fund
- 3Schemes for life, disability, health, maternity or old age cover
- 4Workers with 90 days on one platform or 120 across several qualify
- 5Reviews records and spending, then suggests changes
The road so far
The four labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025. The Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 followed on 8 May 2026 and set eligibility and registration duties for aggregators. The Board is the next institutional piece.
The open questions
The notification creates no scheme or payment. Whether gig workers gain depends on how fast schemes are notified, how contributions are collected, and how records follow workers who switch between apps.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
Social security for informal and gig workers is a recurring GS2 and GS3 theme, and the labour codes were asked directly in Mains 2024. The Board is a new statutory institution to know for Prelims.
The core idea
The Code on Social Security, 2020 recognises the Gig worker and the platform worker and requires each Aggregator to contribute to a fund for them. A single National Board, with one composition for unorganised workers (section 6) and another for gig and platform workers (section 114(6)), recommends schemes and monitors their use. The October notification sets up that Board; schemes and payments are to follow.
Numbers and dates to remember
- Labour codes in force: 21 November 2025.
- Social Security (Central) Rules: 8 May 2026.
- Board notified: PIB release of 30 October 2026, S.O. 5884(E).
- Meetings: at least three a year; term: three years.
- Section 6: 40 nominated members; section 114(6): five aggregator and five worker representatives.
- Aggregator levy: 1% to 2% of turnover, capped at 5% of payouts.
- Eligibility: 90 days (one aggregator) or 120 days (several).
Where to go next
- Code on Social Security, 2020: the law behind the Board.
- Gig worker: who counts as a gig or platform worker.
- Aggregator: the platforms that must pay into the fund.
Go deeper: can a Board deliver security to app workers?
The case for the Board is that it gives gig and platform workers formal representation for the first time. Under section 114(6) of the Code on Social Security, 2020, five worker representatives sit opposite five representatives of each Aggregator group, with the heads of ESIC and EPFO and five States. The Board can recommend schemes and track how contributions are spent, which creates a channel for workers' concerns to reach policy.
The limits are also clear. The Board is advisory: it recommends, monitors and reviews, but schemes are notified by the Centre. The notification itself creates no benefit. The aggregator levy of 1% to 2% of turnover, capped at 5% of payouts, will need clear rules on collection. Day-count eligibility (90 or 120 days) may exclude a Gig worker who works part-time or moves between apps, unless records follow workers across platforms.
There is a federal dimension too. States keep their own unorganised workers' boards, and the national Board is tasked with reviewing State-level record-keeping, so coordination will decide whether data and benefits are portable.
For Mains, link the Board to the broader question of the labour codes: they promise universal social security, and this Board is the test of whether that promise reaches the newest and least protected part of the workforce.
Code on Social Security, 2020
The law that brought gig workers into labour law.
In one line: The Code on Social Security, 2020 is one of India's four labour codes; it consolidates nine social security laws and covers gig and platform workers.
What it does
The Code brings provident fund, insurance, maternity, gratuity and welfare provisions under one law. Section 6 creates a National Social Security Board for unorganised workers. Section 114 lets the Centre frame schemes for gig and platform workers, sets the aggregator contribution, and makes the National Board act for gig and platform workers with an added membership.
Why it is in the news
The four codes came into force on 21 November 2025, the Central Rules followed on 8 May 2026, and the Board was notified in October 2026.
Where to go next
Code on Social Security, 2020: every story that connects to it (4)
Gig worker
A worker the old labour laws did not see.
In one line: A gig worker earns from work outside a traditional employer-employee relationship; a platform worker is a gig worker who gets work through an online platform.
Why the category matters
Older labour laws were built around an employer and an employee. Delivery riders, cab drivers on apps and freelance task workers do not fit that model, so they often had no provident fund, insurance or maternity cover. The Code on Social Security, 2020 names them and lets the Centre frame schemes for them.
How eligibility works now
Under the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026, a gig or platform worker qualifies for benefits after at least 90 days of work for one aggregator, or 120 days across several, in the previous financial year.
Where to go next
Aggregator
The platforms that must fund gig workers' security.
In one line: An aggregator is a digital platform that connects users of a service with the people who provide it, such as ride-hailing or food delivery apps.
Duties under the Code
Under section 114(4) of the Code on Social Security, 2020, aggregators in notified categories must contribute between 1% and 2% of annual turnover towards gig and platform workers' social security, capped at 5% of the amounts they pay or owe those workers. The 2026 Central Rules also require them to register and to report workers joining and leaving.
Seat on the Board
When the National Social Security Board deals with gig and platform workers, five representatives of aggregators sit on it, alongside five worker representatives.
Where to go next
Take the 31 October 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers