Patiala, April 12 -- In a move aimed at extending social security benefits to gig workers, the Punjab labour department has launched a special campaign to register platform-based workers such as those employed by Zomato, Blinkit, Flipkart, Amazon and Swiggy.

This initiative comes in response to the Union government's announcement in the Union Budget 2025-26 to expand the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to gig and platform workers. The scheme provides an annual health cover of Rs.5 lakh, enabling cashless treatment at any empanelled public or private hospital across the country.

For the first time, gig workers will be formally registered through the e-Shram portal, which is the National Databas...