NITI proposes Digital ShramSetu mission to empower India’s 490 million informal workers

NITI Aayog has proposed a national mission to empower India’s over 490 million informal workforce through frontier technologies. Under this, a technology driven bridge called Digital ShramSetu will be developed to empower informal workers with trust, access, and skills by harnessing frontier technologies such as AI, blockchain, and immersive learning.

In its report on AI for Inclusive Societal Development, prepared jointly with Deloitte, the Aayog has proposed incentivising adoption of frontier technologies by startups, enabling entities such as training providers, gig platforms, employers and government bodies to issue verifiable work and skill credentials with real-time updates, scaling up of vernacular AI and creating sector-specific incentives for private sector organisations to fund and build digital interventions to help informal workers.

The report, released on Wednesday, outlines a targeted strategy focused on sector-led prioritisation, state-driven implementation, regulatory enablement and strategic partnerships to ensure affordability and scale.


“The promise of Viksit Bharat 2047 will be fulfilled only when every worker, formal or informal, stands not just as a beneficiary of progress, but as its catalyst,” NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said in the report.

“By harnessing frontier technologies such as AI, blockchain, and immersive learning, we can dismantle systemic barriers and enable inclusion at a scale the world has never witnessed,” he added.

Having outlined recommendations to overcome systemic barriers, it is equally critical to strengthen existing schemes while creating new ones, to avoid duplication, use established platforms and fast track adoption,” it said in the report.

The plan is to mobilise stakeholders across government, industry and civil society and put in place a robust, multi-level impact evaluation framework to monitor progress.

According to the report, five core challenges, namely financial insecurity, limited market access, lack of skilling, inadequate social protection and low productivity continue to hold back India’s informal segment from realising its full potential.

“The mentioned challenges are rooted in four deeper systemic barriers: lack of trust, poor access and usability of services, low awareness and skills and outdated tools and processes,” it added.