3 weeks ago
NPS for Platform Workers: Pension Savings from ₹99
Some people work for apps like Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Ola, Uber and Urban Company, delivering food or driving people around.
These workers are sometimes called platform workers or gig workers.
A group called PFRDA has made a special savings plan for them called the National Pension System.
Workers can start saving for their old age with just ₹99.
There is no minimum or maximum amount they must put in, so they can save at their own pace.
Their company can also add money to their savings, or the worker can contribute alone, or both can contribute together.
To join, a worker needs to share details like their name, PAN, mobile number and bank account.
After they agree, they get a special retirement account number called a PRAN.
If they move from one delivery app to another, they can take their savings account with them.
This way, gig workers can build a retirement nest egg even when their income changes.
PFRDA introduced the NPS e-shramik (Platform Service Partner) Model through a circular dated 29 October 2025 to bring gig and platform workers under the National Pension System.
Platform workers with Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Ola, Uber and Urban Company can start contributing to a retirement corpus with as little as ₹99.
There is no regulatory minimum or maximum contribution limit, though platforms and workers can mutually agree on a minimum amount per contribution.
Contributions can be made jointly by the platform and worker, by the worker alone, or entirely by the platform or aggregator on the worker's behalf.
The pension account can be ported from one aggregator to another, and exit and withdrawal rules follow the NPS All Citizen Model.
- Who
- Gig and platform workers associated with Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Ola, Uber and Urban Company, under a scheme announced by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
- What
- PFRDA's NPS e-shramik (Platform Service Partner) Model lets platform workers build a retirement corpus through the National Pension System with contributions starting at ₹99 and no regulatory minimum or maximum contribution limits.
- Where
- India, covering workers on digital platforms including Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Ola, Uber and Urban Company.
- When
- PFRDA highlighted the scheme in a post on X on 12 August; the model itself was introduced through a PFRDA circular dated 29 October 2025.
- Why
- To give gig and platform workers access to a formal retirement savings route with flexible contributions that adapt to changing income and work arrangements.
Key facts
- Scheme
- NPS e-shramik (Platform Service Partner) Model
- Regulator
- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)
- Starting contribution
- ₹99
- Contribution limits
- No regulatory minimum or maximum
- Introduced
- Circular dated 29 October 2025
- Eligible platforms
- Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Ola, Uber, Urban Company
- Contribution modes
- Joint platform-worker, worker-only, platform-only
- Onboarding
- Two-stage process; PRAN generated after worker consent
- Nominee details deadline
- Within 60 days of onboarding
Quotes
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)
Regulator overseeing India’s National Pension System
“Your work may depend on your next booking, but your retirement shouldn’t. With NPS for Platform Workers, you can start with just Rs 99 and contribute at your own pace with no minimum and no maximum contribution limit.”
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