{"id":63095,"date":"2025-12-31T20:14:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=63095"},"modified":"2025-12-31T20:16:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:46:21","slug":"gig-workers-issues-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-12-2025\/gig-workers-issues-india","title":{"rendered":"Issues with Gig Workers in India\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gig and platform worker unions have called for a strike, protesting the denial of basic labour rights and alleged exploitation by food delivery and taxi platforms.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the Gig Economy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a0According to the World Economic Forum, The gig economy involves short-term, task-based work facilitated by digital platforms connecting workers with customers.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In India, gig workers are defined as \u201cself-employed\u201d workers, and the gig labour force has seen increasing participation of women.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gig workers provide a wide range of services like driving, beauty, housework, food delivery, etc.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are paid per assignment or gig, and their work is viewed as flexible with freedom from the traditional 9 to 5 office culture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Types<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Web-based gig work<\/strong> \u2013 Gig workers perform their tasks virtually or digitally like content writing, software development, digital marketing, data analytics, etc.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Location-based work<\/strong> \u2013 Tasks are carried out locally or in person but are facilitated by digital platforms like Ola, Uber, Zomato, and Urban Company.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Advantages of Gig and Platform Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Flexibility: <\/strong>Workers can choose hours and tasks, balancing personal and professional commitments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Income opportunities: <\/strong>Provides livelihood to millions, especially youth and women, without requiring formal qualifications.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Women may earn more in gig work and can balance domestic and professional responsibilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skill development:<\/strong> Exposure to digital tools and customer service enhances employability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u00a0Economic contribution<\/strong>: Gig economy supports sectors like logistics, e-commerce, and urban mobility, contributing to GDP growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Faced by Workers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lack of social security: <\/strong>Most workers are outside traditional labor protections.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of adequate labour regulations exposes workers to exploitation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Income insecurity because <\/strong>Earnings fluctuate with demand-<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health and safety risks:<\/strong> Delivery and transport workers face accidents, long hours, and inadequate insurance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vulnerable to extreme conditions (e.g., 2024 heatwave) and unsafe working environments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Absence of collective bargaining:<\/strong> Fragmented workforce limits negotiation power with platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gender disparities:<\/strong> Women face safety concerns and lower participation rates compared to men.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Steps Taken in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The<strong> Code on Social Security, 2020<\/strong> marked the first formal recognition of gig and platform workers in law, entitling them to benefits such as accident insurance, health and maternity cover, and old-age protection.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The government launched the <strong>e-Shram portal in 2021 <\/strong>to create a national database of unorganised workers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The portal has registered over 30.98 crore workers, including 3.37 lakh gig and platform workers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the <strong>Union Budget 2025-26, <\/strong>the government announced a plan to extend <strong>Ayushman Bharat \u2013 Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)<\/strong> benefits to platform workers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Government is also working on setting up a <strong>Social Security Fund <\/strong>with contributions from the Centre, state governments, and digital platforms to support gig workers\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>States like Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Telangana<\/strong> have introduced their own legislation: Rajasthan\u2019s 2023 Act requires employers to contribute a monthly welfare cess, while Telangana\u2019s 2025 draft bill mandates registration of gig workers by employers and aggregators to ensure social security and welfare benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and Way Forward&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s gig and platform economy is expanding rapidly, offering flexibility and new income opportunities, but workers face challenges like lack of social security, income instability, and absence of formal contracts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Therefore there is a need for comprehensive data on gig workers to understand their socio-economic conditions and working patterns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While policymakers highlight technological progress and workforce flexibility, it is crucial to ensure minimum wages, social security, collective bargaining rights, and protection against algorithmic biases and arbitrary account deactivations.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/163947\/OPS\/GHUFBFR53.1+GBSFCI9MV.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Gig and platform worker unions have called for a strike, protesting the denial of basic labour rights and alleged exploitation by food delivery and taxi platforms.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is the Gig Economy? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\u00a0According to the World Economic Forum, The gig economy involves short-term, task-based work facilitated by digital platforms connecting workers with customers.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In India, gig workers are defined as \u201cself-employed\u201d workers, and the gig labour force has seen increasing participation of women.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Gig workers provide a wide range of services like driving, beauty, housework, food delivery, etc. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-12-2025\/gig-workers-issues-india\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63095"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63098,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63095\/revisions\/63098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}