Despite Being A Good Start, The Code On Social Security Needs To Cover More Ground…..

The recent approval of the Code on Social Security, 2020 (CoSS) is part of the government's efforts to streamline India's labour laws by replacing multiple, and often outdated, regulations with a relatively more simplified set of rules. With the enactment of the CoSS, the government has set the ball rolling to extend universal social security to employees and workers in the organized, unorganized and other sectors. The CoSS, which was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2019, was subsequently referred to the Standing Committee on Labour for review. The Committee made 233 recommendations, of which 174 were included in the 2020 Code.

Among the most notable provisions of the CoSS is the expansion of social security coverage to include gig workers, platform workers, unorganized workers and fixed-term employees. The extension of welfare benefits to gig/platform workers is an important move considering that so far, they have not been covered under any legislation since