Social protection coverage reaches over 100 crore citizens in 2026: Min

India's social protection coverage increased to over 100 crore citizens in 2026, up from 25 crore in 2015, according to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

The minister, in a post on X on Wednesday, highlighted the landmark validation of the country's social security landscape by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). "India breaches 1 billion mark in Social Protection Coverage!" Mandaviya wrote, thanking ILO Director-General Gilbert F Houngbo for acknowledging India's efforts towards expanding social protection coverage.

In the same post, the minister laid out the scale of the shift: "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's social protection coverage has grown from 25 crore citizens (19%) in 2015 to over 100 crore citizens (68.4%) in 2026, reflecting the government's commitment to Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas." The numbers mark one of the steepest expansions of social security coverage recorded, taking India from covering less than a fifth of its population a little over a decade ago to covering more than two-thirds of it today.             

-PTI