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<p data-start="104" data-end="448"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">India has made a significant leap in social security coverage, with over 94 crore people now receiving at least one social protection benefit. This 45 percentage point rise&mdash;from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025&mdash;has earned India the second spot globally in the International Labour Organisation (ILO)&rsquo;s social protection dashboard.</span></p>
<p data-start="450" data-end="775"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The ILO officially acknowledged this achievement, crediting the sharp rise to India&rsquo;s targeted welfare schemes and strong policy implementation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s leadership. Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo praised the country&rsquo;s commitment to social welfare, particularly for the poor and working class.</span></p>
<p data-start="777" data-end="1142"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The ILO&rsquo;s evaluation includes strict criteria: schemes must be legislatively backed, involve active cash benefits, and be supported by verified data from the last three years. India met all these requirements and became the first country to upload updated 2025 data to the ILOSTAT database&mdash;underscoring its leadership in digital governance and welfare transparency.</span></p>
<p data-start="1144" data-end="1595"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">India&rsquo;s Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who is currently leading the Indian delegation to the 113th International Labour Conference in Geneva, highlighted the national data pooling exercise carried out in collaboration with the ILO. Phase I focused on central government schemes and women-centric programs across eight states. As Phases II and III progress, coverage is expected to cross the 100-crore mark, pending ILO verification.</span></p>
<p data-start="1597" data-end="1881"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mandaviya stated that this achievement reflects the government&rsquo;s vision of &ldquo;Antyodaya&rdquo;&mdash;empowering the last mile and ensuring no citizen is left behind. He described it as the fastest global expansion of social protection coverage, affirming India&rsquo;s rising influence in labour welfare.</span></p>
<p data-start="1883" data-end="2239" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">India&rsquo;s improved position is also expected to support international agreements. Enhanced transparency and credibility will aid in finalising Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with developed nations, enabling Indian professionals abroad to benefit from portable social protection rights and boosting India&rsquo;s standing in global labour and trade negotiations.</span><br><br><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.</span></p>
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India ranks 2nd in global social security coverage

Over 94 crore Indians now covered; ILO lauds 45-point rise in social protection in a decade

India ranks 2nd in global social security coverage

Over 94 crore Indians now covered; ILO lauds 45-point rise in social protection in a decade

June 11, 2025 | 17:13 IST