On India’s first centralised database of unorganised workers, e-Shram portal, more than 7.86 crore registrations have been done till date. Out of this number, 40.5 percent belong to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 27.4 percent general category, 23.7 percent scheduled castes (SCs) and 8.3 percent to scheduled tribes (STs).
Highlights
- These estimations are significant as they offer an indicator of social profile of informal sector workers in India.
- As per 2011 census, population share of SCs was 16.2 per cent and that for STs was 8.2 per cent.
- The count of OBCs is not detailed in 2011 Census. However, as per a survey conducted in 2007 by National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) had estimated the population share of OBCs as 40.9 per cent.
- Population share of general category population was around 34 per cent.
Occupation-wise registration data
- Maximum registrations (53.6 percent) have been seen in agriculture sector.
- It is followed by construction sector (12.2 per cent) and domestic & household workers (8.71 per cent).
- The e-Shram portal has been recording primary as well as secondary occupation of unorganised sector workers. Workers in rural areas are routinely recording two occupations.
Registration across states
- In agriculture sector, West Bengal is at the top slot with 13.38 per cent share. It is followed by Odisha (10.5 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (9.15 per cent), Bihar (5.71 per cent) and Jharkhand (3.03 per cent). Highest registrations were seen for crop & farm labourers and field crop & vegetable growers.
- In construction, top four countries with highest number of registrations are- West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. Highest registrations were recorded for building and construction workers.