Centre to issue U-WIN cards for unorganized sector

The union government is working on issuing a unique identification number for the workforce engaged in un-organised sector to facilitate them to access social schemes and benefits.

• The software in this regard had been developed and it would be sent to the state governments for its implementation soon .

• The benefits of the Union government schemes such as pension scheme, old age scheme would be linked with the U-WIN cards.(Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana will also be made available under the programme)

• In the first phase, government will cover construction worker, autorickshaw and rickshaw pullers.

• The government also intends to create a Central-level database of all unorganised sector workers in the country.

• As per latest data from the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), the country’s labour force comprises at estimated 48.37 crore people, out of which 47.28 crore people are said to be employed.

• The unorganised labour, according to NSSO estimates, accounts for 82.7 per cent of the total labour force, including a significant share of workers engaged in low income generating activities.

• As migrant workers occupy a major chunk of these unorganised workers, to check the possibility of duplication in registration of these workers, the U-WIN card will be authenticated by Aadhaar and a biometric de-duplication software in-built in the UIDAI database.

• Un-organised sector generated  50.6 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.( NCEUS report)

What is an unorganized sector ?

The unorganised sector is characterised by small and scattered units which are largely outside the control of the government.

There are rules and regulations but these are not followed.

Jobs here are low-paid and often not regular.

There is no provision for overtime, paid leave, holidays, leave due to sickness etc. Employment is not secure. People can be asked to leave without any reason.

When there is less work, such as during some seasons, some people may be asked to leave.

A lot also depends on the whims of the employer.

This sector includes a large number of people who are employed on their own doing small jobs such as selling on the street or doing repair work. Similarly, farmers work on their own and hire labourers as and when they require.