The Rajasthan Assembly Monday passed a Bill extending social security to gig workers.
In a first in India, Rajasthan has approved a bill to impose a surcharge on online transactions via platforms like Amazon, Ola and Zomato to fund welfare benefits for gig workers.
Approved without any debate in the state assembly, the bill states that the aggregators will have to provide data of all gig workers registered with them within 60 days of the notification of the law.
As per the bill, the state government will impose a surcharge on online transactions via platforms like Amazon, Ola and Zomato to fund welfare benefits for gig workers, the first such scheme in the country.
Rajasthan state Chief Minister, Gehlot in his budget speech earlier this year had said that “Currently, companies like Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato and Amazon, etc. have engaged young workers on contract on ‘per transaction’ basis. Such workers are called gig workers. Like elsewhere in the world, the scope of ‘Gig Economy’ is continuously growing in the state. Today, the number of gig workers in the state has increased to 3-4 lakh. These big companies do not make any arrangements for social security for these gig workers.”
Eventually, Rajastпan state assembly approved late on Monday the platform-based gig workers' welfare bill, under which online platforms would collect a surcharge of up to 2% on transactions, according to state officials, and deposit the proceeds in a welfare fund to be run by a board with workers, industry and government representatives.
The bill is likely to benefit over 400,000 gig workers in the state and also has a provision to set up a tribunal with some judicial powers to address gig workers' grievances against their aggregator platforms, said a Reuters report citing state government officials.
The number of gig workers has grown sharply in India to an estimated 15 million - emerging as a constituency pursued by political parties ahead of elections in five states in the next few months and general elections early next year.
A recent Quess Corp survey suggested that 80% informal employees expect their employers to provide them security of ESI and Other Medical Benefits.
Approved without any debate in the state assembly, the bill states that the aggregators will have to provide data of all gig workers registered with them within 60 days of the notification of the law.
As per the bill, the state government will impose a surcharge on online transactions via platforms like Amazon, Ola and Zomato to fund welfare benefits for gig workers, the first such scheme in the country.
Rajasthan state Chief Minister, Gehlot in his budget speech earlier this year had said that “Currently, companies like Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato and Amazon, etc. have engaged young workers on contract on ‘per transaction’ basis. Such workers are called gig workers. Like elsewhere in the world, the scope of ‘Gig Economy’ is continuously growing in the state. Today, the number of gig workers in the state has increased to 3-4 lakh. These big companies do not make any arrangements for social security for these gig workers.”
Eventually, Rajastпan state assembly approved late on Monday the platform-based gig workers' welfare bill, under which online platforms would collect a surcharge of up to 2% on transactions, according to state officials, and deposit the proceeds in a welfare fund to be run by a board with workers, industry and government representatives.
The bill is likely to benefit over 400,000 gig workers in the state and also has a provision to set up a tribunal with some judicial powers to address gig workers' grievances against their aggregator platforms, said a Reuters report citing state government officials.
The number of gig workers has grown sharply in India to an estimated 15 million - emerging as a constituency pursued by political parties ahead of elections in five states in the next few months and general elections early next year.
A recent Quess Corp survey suggested that 80% informal employees expect their employers to provide them security of ESI and Other Medical Benefits.
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