ILO ranks India 2nd in social security for poor
According to the latest ILO data, India's social security coverage has increased from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025, an unprecedented 45 percentage point surge over the past decade.
ILO has acknowledged India's achievement and officially published on its dashboard that 64.3 per cent of India's population, i.e. over 94 crore people, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit.
Director General ILO praised India's focussed welfare policies for the poor and labour class under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. ILO's Criteria for Scheme Consideration for each country include that the scheme should be legislatively backed, in cash and be active, and verified time series data of last three years has to be provided.
While holding a bilateral discussion with the Director General, ILO, Gilbert F Houngbo on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference (ILC), India's Minister of Labour and Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the pro-poor and labour welfare schemes undertaken by the Modi government over the past 11 years. The Minister also apprised DG ILO about the national-level Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise that has been carried out by the Government in collaboration with the ILO. Mandaviya said, 'This remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the relentless efforts of the Government in building an inclusive and rights-based social protection ecosystem. The increase marks the fastest expansion in social protection coverage worldwide, reflecting the Government's unwavering commitment to 'Antyodaya' i.e., empowering the last mile and fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind.'
The present figure reflects only Phase I of the data pooling exercise. This phase focussed on beneficiary data of Central sector schemes and women-centric schemes in selected 8 States.
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