The Centre has decided to extend providing benefits of Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme to all subscribers of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation and their family members till further notice. The benefits have ended in April 2024. Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, meanwhile, met stakeholders in gig and platform sectors on implementing a social security scheme for workers employed there. Mr. Mandaviya said a committee had been formed to develop framework for providing social security and welfare benefits to gig and platform workers.

The EDLI scheme, launched in 1976, was to provide insurance benefits to members of the EPFO and to ensure that the families of members get financial assistance in case of death of the member. The minimum and maximum benefits under the EDLI scheme were enhanced from ₹1.5 lakh and ₹6 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh and ₹7 lakh respectively in 2021 and the benefits were valid for a period of three years, which came to an end on April 27, 2024.

A government source said Mr. Mandaviya approved the decision to make the benefits applicable to the members of the EDLI Scheme retrospectively from April 28, 2024 onwards till any further notification. The source said the benefits would be continued for indefinite period and there would be no requirement for issuing any further notification in this regard.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mandaviya chaired a meeting with representatives from platform workers’ associations on addressing the challenges faced by the workers and providing health and social security for them. “Mr. Mandaviya emphasised the importance of incorporating inputs directly from the platform workers’ associations to develop robust and comprehensive mechanism for their social security,” a government release said. He told the meeting that a committee has been formed by the Ministry to develop a ‘framework for providing social security and welfare benefits to gig and platform workers,’ aiming to gather perspectives from all relevant stakeholders.