Social security in India
Social security in India includes a variety of statutory insurances and social grant schemes bundled into a formerly complex and fragmented system run by the Indian government at the federal and the state level. The Directive Principles of State Policy, enshrined in Part IV of the Indian Constitution reflects that India is a welfare state. Food security to all Indians are guaranteed under the National Food Security Act, 2013 where the government provides highly subsidised food grains or a food security allowance to economically vulnerable people. The system has since been universalised with the passing of The Code on Social Security, 2020.[1] These cover most of the Indian population with social protection in various situations in their lives.
The Government's social security and welfare expenditures are a substantial portion of the official budget and as well as the budgets of social security bodies, and state and local governments play roles in developing and implementing social security policies. Additional welfare measure systems are also uniquely operated by various state governments.[2][3] Aadhaar is utilised to distribute welfare measures in India.
The comprehensive social protection system of India can be categorised as the follows: social assistance (in the form of welfare payments in cash or kind funded through taxations) and mandatory social security contributory schemes mostly related to employment. The Code on Social Security, 2020 is part of the Indian labour code that deals with employees' social security and have provisions on retirement pension and provident fund, healthcare insurance and medical benefits, sick pay and leaves, unemployment benefits and paid parental leaves.[4]
The largest social security programs backed by The Code on Social Security are:
Budget[edit]
As per the Economic Survey of the Government of India of 2022–23, the general government (federal, states and local bodies combined) expenditure on social protection (direct cash transfers, financial inclusion, social benefits, health and other insurances, subsidies, free school meals, rural employment guarantee and housing grants for the low income), was approximately ₹2,130,000 crore (US$270 billion), which was 8.3% of gross domestic product (GDP).[7] These are not part of the employment related social security which are managed separately by individual bodies.[8] If the funds spent by the EPFO, ESI and the various other provident fund bodies are taken into account, the total spending by the general government of India (centre, states and cities all together) is 12.8% of the GDP or ₹3,320,000 crore (US$420 billion).[9]