Guwahati (Assam) [India]: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday hailed India’s remarkable progress in social protection coverage, calling it a “phenomenal achievement” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
As per the latest International Labour Organisation (ILO) data, India’s social protection coverage for the poor has soared from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025 — a jump of 45 percentage points in just a decade.
Taking to X, Sarma wrote, “This is a phenomenal achievement by Bharat under Adarniya Shri @narendramodi Ji’s stellar vision. In the last 10 years, social protection coverage, i.e., protecting the poor from unforeseen events, has surged to 64.3% from 19%, reaffirming the Govt’s pro-poor commitment.”
India’s progress has been recognised as one of the largest expansions of social protection globally. According to the ILO’s ILOSTAT database, over 94 crore Indians — 64.3 per cent of the population — are now covered under at least one form of social protection, compared to only 19 per cent in 2015.
Union Minister for Labour, Employment, Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, underscored these achievements during bilateral talks with ILO Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference (ILC).
Mandaviya highlighted government initiatives such as universal insurance schemes, pension coverage, and labour welfare reforms that contributed to this growth. The Union Minister also informed about the national Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise conducted with the ILO’s technical support.
The ILO commended India’s pro-poor policies and officially updated its dashboard reflecting the expanded coverage. In terms of beneficiaries, India now ranks second globally in providing social protection benefits.
ILO DG Houngbo praised India’s “people-centric and inclusive” policies, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for this transformative progress in ensuring economic security and welfare for the vulnerable sections of society.