What’s in the news?

• A comprehensive data-pooling exercise led by the Union Labour Ministry in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) has shown that 65% of the country’s population (92 crore people) is covered by at least one social protection benefit (cash and in-kind both), with 48.8% receiving cash benefits. 
• India’s social protection coverage, thus, doubled from 24.4% in 2021 to 48.8% in 2024 as per ILO’s World Social Protection Report (WSPR) 2024-26.
• This increase acknowledges existing central social protection schemes that had not been considered earlier.
• By utilising encrypted Aadhaar as a unique identifier across 34 major central schemes, such as MGNREGA, EPFO, ESIC, APY, and PM-POSHAN, over 200 crore records were processed to identify unique beneficiaries. 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/ministry-of-labour-employment-launches-indias-social-protection-data-drive/articleshow/119478019.cms?from=mdr