Over 36 Lakh Unorganised Workers Registered on e-Shram Portal in Jammu Kashmir, Ladakh

SRINAGAR: The Ministry of Labour and Employment has reported that more than 36 lakh unorganised workers from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been registered on the government’s e-Shram portal, aimed at creating a comprehensive Aadhaar-linked national database of informal sector workers, including gig and platform workers.

According to official data presented in the Lok Sabha on August 11, 2025, by Labour and Employment Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Jammu and Kashmir has recorded 36,00,848 registrations, including 16,87,419 female workers, 19,11,385 male workers, and 44 workers in the ‘other’ category. In Ladakh, 34,684 workers have registered, comprising 17,228 women and 17,456 men.

Launched on August 26, 2021, the e-Shram portal allows unorganised workers to self-register and receive a Universal Account Number (UAN), enabling access to welfare schemes, employment, and skilling opportunities. Nationally, over 30.98 crore unorganised workers are registered, with 3.37 lakh identifying themselves as platform workers.

The data shows Uttar Pradesh leading the country with over 8.39 crore registrations, followed by Bihar with 3 crore and Madhya Pradesh with 1.89 crore. Other States with high registration figures include Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Karnataka. Smaller States and Union Territories such as Sikkim, Mizoram, and Lakshadweep have the lowest registration numbers, reflecting their smaller unorganised workforces.

While some industrial and agriculturally dominant States have seen strong participation, officials acknowledged that several regions, particularly in the northeast, have scope for further outreach. States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Goa have recorded fewer than 2 lakh registrations each, highlighting the challenge of awareness and access in geographically remote or economically niche labour markets.

To promote registrations, the government has undertaken measures including periodic review meetings with States and Union Territories, integration of e-Shram with the National Career Service and Skill India Digital portals, linkage with the myScheme portal for welfare scheme discovery, awareness campaigns through SMS and social media, and organisation of registration camps in coordination with Common Service Centres, State Labour Departments, and the Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education and Development.

The registration targets for each State and Union Territory were set based on the National Statistics Office’s Periodic Labour Force Survey (2017–18) and population data. Officials said the progress in Jammu and Kashmir indicates steady outreach, but further mobilisation is planned to cover remaining eligible workers, particularly in remote and seasonal employment sectors.

The e-Shram portal, the government said, is expected to play a critical role in shaping policy for unorganised workers in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, as well as across India, by providing the first unified, verified dataset of this workforce. This, they said, will help direct benefits and design social security measures more effectively for those engaged in agriculture, construction, handicrafts, gig work, and tourism-linked services.