PFRDA said on Tuesday that it will open NPS accounts for gig workers across India, using the e‑shramik model that came online in October 2025. The initiative targets the hundreds of thousands of platform‑based laborers who have long been excluded from formal pension schemes.
The e‑shramik model lets workers and aggregators contribute as little as ₹99 per month, without a rigid monthly mandate, and attaches each account to a Permanent Retirement Account Number. This flexible framework is designed to accommodate the irregular earnings of gig labor.
Chairman S Raman told The Times of India that consent will be sought from workers and accounts will be opened through the new NPS Tatkal option, which allows instant digital enrollment via UPI. The accounts will default to the NPS Sanchaya investment mix, giving subscribers a conservative‑to‑moderate portfolio that can be altered later.
For the 42‑year‑old courier in West Delhi, the move means a chance to build a retirement nest egg while still juggling deliveries. The first batch of accounts is slated to launch next month, with a full rollout expected by early 2027.