What are the features of the Code on Social Security 2020?

The Code on Social Security, 2019 has been introduced in Lok Sabha on December 11, 2019. The Code was referred to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. The report of the Standing Committee was placed before both the Houses of the Parliament on September 15, 2020. The Bill was reintroduced as The Code on Social Security, 2020 in the Parliament and has been passed by the Lok Sabha on 22nd September, 2020, Rajya Sabha on 23rd September, 2020 and received the assent of the President on 28th September, 2020. The Code on Social Security, 2020 would facilitate the use of technology ensuring transparency and accountability leading to effective enforcement of the provisions. The salient features of the Code on Social Security, 2020, inter alia, are - to extend the coverage of Employees' State Insurance to all establishments employing ten or more employees and to the employees working in establishments with less than ten employees on voluntary basis and also to plantations on option basis. It further seeks to empower the Central Government to notify the applicability of the said coverage to establishments which carries on the hazardous or life threatening occupation irrespective of the number of workers employed therein; to extend the Employees' Provident Fund, Employees' Pension Scheme and Employees Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme to all industries or establishments employing twenty or more; to make provision for specifying differential rates of employees' contribution for class of employees for employees' provident fund as the Central Government may notify for a specified period; to provide that the money dues shall be the charge on the assets of the employer and shall be paid on priority basis in accordance with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016; to provide that in case of employer's failure to register the employee with Employees' State Insurance Corporation or failure to pay contribution and the Employees' State Insurance Corporation releasing the benefits to the workers, then, such benefits shall be recovered from the employer; to empower the Central Government to frame schemes for providing social security, to the gig workers and platform workers who do not fall under traditional employer-employee relation; to empower the Central Government, by notification, to constitute a Social Security Fund or funds for provision of social security for the unorganised workers, platform workers or gig workers or any such class of workers; to provide for payment of gratuity in case of Fixed Term Employment on pro-rata basis even if the period of fixed term contract is less than five years; to provide for maternity benefit to the woman employee; to provide for compensation to the employees in case of the accidents while commuting from residence to place of work and vice versa; to provide for levying and collecting the cess for the purposes of social security and welfare of building workers; to provide for limitation period of five years for institution of proceedings in respect of assessment and determination of money dues from employer; to expand the sources of the fund for schemes to include funds from corporate social responsibility or any other source as may be specified in the scheme and also contains enabling provision for constituting the special purpose vehicle for the purpose of implementation of schemes for unorganized workers; to provide for renaming the designation of Inspector as Inspector-cum-Facilitator and to enhance his power to supply information and give advice to employers and workers concerning the most effective means of complying with the provisions of the proposed Code; to provide for filing of a single return electronically or otherwise by the employer; to provide that the interests charged on delayed payments under the provisions of the proposed Code be specified in the rules; to provide penalty for the different types of violations commensurate with the gravity of the violations; to make Aadhaar mandatory for seeding at the time of registration of member or beneficiary or any other person to register or for receiving benefit; to empower the appropriate Government to exempt certain establishments from all or any of the provisions of the proposed Code.