The Economic Times (06.02.2025) The Ministry of Labour and Employment is set to introduce a policy granting pension benefits to gig and platform workers through the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation. This will supplement the existing health cover under PM Jan Aarogya Yojana. The pension plan, funded by aggregators, aims to provide financial security for gig workers, recognizing their significant contribution to the services economy.

Development Pathways (11.02.2025) The global shift towards digitalisation is revolutionising social protection information systems, including those in low- and middle-income countries. Gone are the days of inefficient paper-based processes: digital technologies are now indispensable for enhancing efficiency, minimising errors, and enabling data-driven decision-making. Emerging technologies like generative AI are accelerating this transformation. Azerbaijan is leading the way among middle-income countries with its exemplary digitalisation initiatives in social protection.

The Korea Times (09.02.2025) The number of national pension subscribers continues to decline due mainly to the low birthrate and aging population, data from the National Pension Service (NPS) showed Sunday, raising concerns over its sustainability. In contrast, the number of recipients is increasing, pushing the current national pension system toward a risk of fund depletion. But discussions on ways to make the pension system more sustainable have been delayed.

worldbank.org (29.01.2025) The Sahel is faced with increasingly frequent and severe interconnected shocks, particularly those related to climate change and conflict, exacerbating risks and vulnerabilities to poverty, food insecurity, inequality, and low levels of human capital. To effectively respond to these crises, governments require systems enabling them to rapidly and accurately identify sudden changes in household welfare.

thedailyguardian.com 801.02.20259 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget 2025 speech, announced that the government will issue ID cards to gig workers. These workers will also get healthcare benefits through a social security scheme. Moreover, the government will invest in street vendors, urban workers, and online platform workers to improve their financial security.

wtwco.com (15.01.2025) The Employee Welfare Fund, Thailand’s much-anticipated financial safety net for employees, is set to launch in late 2025, bringing new contribution requirements for employers and their workforces.

socialprotection.org (15.01.2025) Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undergone rapid advancements in recent times in terms of computational power and general usage of algorithms across multiple areas, such as healthcare diagnosis, fraud detection and public service delivery. As we will see in this post, usage of AI, particularly algorithms, is not novel in public policy or in social protection and tends to increase (Benoit 2024). The wider acceptance of AI and general utilization of algorithms in public policy serves as the main point of contention.

Institute of Development Studies (17.12.2024) The introduction of ‘digital-by-default’ welfare and social protection systems in the UK and beyond has delivered efficiencies and cost savings for governments and can be convenient for recipients. But, given the rapid pace of change, we need to understand the ethical, social, and political implications of digital welfare from the perspectives of the poorest and most marginalised members of our societies.

worldbank.org (Over the past two decades, Rwanda has transformed from a nation rebuilding after tragedy to a global example of economic inclusion. Its impressive 5% average annual per capita GDP growth since 2006 tells part of the story, but economic growth is just one piece of the puzzle. The real story lies in how this growth has touched lives, especially the most vulnerable, through initiatives like Gira Wigire, which means"to have dignity" in Kinyarwanda.

business-standard.com (21.01.2025) While the new Code on Social Security 2020 defines ‘gig and platform’ workers and outlines various welfare measures like life and disability insurance, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, and old-age protection, its non-implementation implies that millions of gig workers remain without any protection.   Labour Lawyer B C Prabhakar says that since the new labour codes are not yet implemented, it is pertinent that the government comes up with a holistic framework for the welfare of this bulging workforce in the upcoming budget.