58 Social Security: Concept and Scope, Beveridge’s Five Giants, ILO Convention 102 (1952) Nine Contingencies, Indian Architecture (EPF, ESI, Maternity, Gratuity, Compensation), Atal Pension, PMSYM, e-Shram, the Code on Social Security 2020 and Universal Social Protection
58.1 Society’s Insurance for Life’s Contingencies
A worker may lose income for reasons that are no fault of his own — sickness, accident, unemployment, old age, death of a breadwinner. Social security is the body of public arrangements designed to protect individuals and families from such economic insecurity. The concept moved from charity to right in the 20th century — culminating in the Beveridge Report (UK, 1942), the ILO Convention 102 (1952) with its nine contingencies, and India’s progressive expansion via EPF, ESI, Maternity, Gratuity, Compensation, Atal Pension and the Code on Social Security 2020 consolidating nine major statutes.
58.2 1 · Concept and Definitions
| Source | Substance |
|---|---|
| ILO (1942 — Approaches to Social Security) | Security that society furnishes — through appropriate organisation — against certain risks to which its members are exposed |
| Beveridge (1942) | Provision against income loss in the contingencies of life, abolishing want |
| Sir William Beveridge | “Security from cradle to grave” |
| Friedlander | Programme to safeguard individuals against contingencies that threaten well-being |
| ILO Convention 102 (1952) | Minimum standards for nine specified contingencies |
58.3 2 · Beveridge’s Five Giants
Sir William Beveridge in his 1942 Report identified five “giants on the road to reconstruction” that social security must slay:
| Giant | Substance |
|---|---|
| Want | Income insecurity, poverty |
| Disease | Ill-health |
| Ignorance | Lack of education |
| Squalor | Poor housing |
| Idleness | Unemployment |
58.4 3 · ILO Convention 102 — Nine Contingencies
The ILO Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) is the foundational global instrument, identifying nine contingencies:
| # | Contingency | Indian Indicative Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical care | ESI medical benefit, Ayushman Bharat |
| 2 | Sickness benefit | ESI sickness benefit |
| 3 | Unemployment benefit | Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana (under ESI) |
| 4 | Old-age benefit | EPS pension, Atal Pension Yojana, NPS |
| 5 | Employment injury benefit | Employees’ Compensation, ESI disablement |
| 6 | Family benefit | Family pension (EPS) |
| 7 | Maternity benefit | Maternity Benefit Act 1961; ESI |
| 8 | Invalidity benefit | EPS disablement pension |
| 9 | Survivors’ benefit | EPS family pension; EDLI |
ILO Convention 102 (1952) lists nine contingencies. India has not ratified C-102 (as of 2024), though its social security legislation broadly covers most of these branches.
58.9 8 · Schemes for the Unorganised Sector
| Scheme | Year | Substance |
|---|---|---|
| National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) | 1995 | Old-age, widow, disability pension; family benefit; Annapurna |
| Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana | 2007 | Life insurance for rural landless |
| Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana | 2008 | Health insurance for BPL (now folded into Ayushman Bharat) |
| Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) | 2015 | Accidental death/disability insurance — Rs 2 lakh |
| Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) | 2015 | Life insurance Rs 2 lakh |
| Atal Pension Yojana (APY) | 2015 | Old-age pension Rs 1,000-5,000 |
| Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) | 2018 | Health cover Rs 5 lakh per family |
| PM Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PMSYM) | 2019 | Pension for unorganised workers — Rs 3,000/month |
| e-Shram portal | 2021 | Unorganised workers’ database (>30 crore registered) |
| PM Vishwakarma | 2023 | Artisan welfare |
58.11 10 · Position in Constitutional Scheme
| Provision | Substance |
|---|---|
| Article 21 | Right to life — includes livelihood, dignity |
| Article 38 | State to secure social order |
| Article 39 | Adequate means of livelihood; equal pay |
| Article 41 | Right to work, education and public assistance in certain cases (old age, sickness, disablement) |
| Article 42 | Maternity relief and just conditions |
| Article 43 | Living wage and conditions of work |
| Article 47 | Public health and standard of living |
| 7th Schedule | Labour and social security — Concurrent List |
58.12 11 · India and ILO Conventions
India has ratified:
- C-19 (1925) — Equality of Treatment (Accident Compensation).
- C-118 (1962) — Equality of Treatment (Social Security) — not ratified.
- C-102 (1952) — Minimum Standards — not ratified but broadly aligned.
58.13 12 · Critique
- Coverage gap — 90 %+ of workforce in unorganised sector with limited statutory cover.
- Multiplicity of schemes with low penetration.
- Low replacement rates — minimum pension Rs 1,000-3,000 inadequate.
- Implementation deficit — registration, payment, portability problems.
- Funding — pay-as-you-go vs funded debate.
58.14 Practice Questions
"Security from cradle to grave" is associated with:
View solution
Which is NOT among Beveridge's Five Giants?
View solution
ILO Convention 102 (1952) covers how many contingencies?
View solution
EPF is an example of:
View solution
Atal Pension Yojana was launched in:
View solution
PM Shram Yogi Maan-dhan provides:
View solution
Match scheme with year:
| (i) | NSAP | (a) | 2018 |
| (ii) | APY | (b) | 1995 |
| (iii) | Ayushman Bharat | (c) | 2015 |
| (iv) | e-Shram | (d) | 2021 |
View solution
The Bismarck model of social security is:
View solution
PMJJBY provides life insurance of:
View solution
Ayushman Bharat covers up to:
View solution
The e-Shram portal was launched in:
View solution
The Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act was enacted in:
View solution
The Code on Social Security 2020 subsumes approximately:
View solution
The Code on Social Security 2020 explicitly recognises:
View solution
Right to public assistance for old age, sickness, disablement is in:
View solution
India's status on ILO Convention 102:
View solution
PMSBY provides accidental death/disability cover of:
View solution
The "provident fund" model of social security is associated with:
View solution
The Beveridge Report was published in:
View solution
Labour and social security in India fall under:
View solution
58.15 Quick Recall
- Social security = public protection against income loss from life’s contingencies.
- Beveridge (1942): Five Giants — Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, Idleness. “Cradle to grave”.
- ILO C-102 (1952) — Minimum Standards; nine contingencies (medical care, sickness, unemployment, old-age, employment injury, family, maternity, invalidity, survivors). India has not ratified C-102.
- Models: Beveridge (UK), Bismarck (Germany), Provident Fund (India/Singapore), means-tested, UBI.
- Three pillars: Social insurance / Social assistance / Universal services.
- Indian statutes: Workmen’s Comp (1923), ESI (1948), EPF (1952), Maternity (1961), Gratuity (1972), BOCW Cess (1996), USSA (2008), Code on Social Security (2020).
- Major schemes: NSAP (1995), AAB (2007), RSBY (2008), PMSBY/PMJJBY/APY (2015), Ayushman (2018), PMSYM (2019), e-Shram (2021), PM Vishwakarma (2023).
- Code on Social Security 2020 subsumes 9 Acts; covers gig/platform workers.
- Constitutional anchors: Articles 21, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 47; Concurrent List.