Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala announced on Tuesday that the Haryana government is all set to present a Gig Workers Bill in the upcoming cabinet meeting enabling the establishment of a welfare board for the state’s gig workers.
The announcement regarding the Gig Workers Bill came after he met with representatives from various service-providing companies as well as officials from labour, taxation and transport departments in Gurugram. The officials had gathered to discuss the Gig Workers Welfare Board Bill, 2024.
There are approximately 52.70 lakh workers engaged by e-commerce companies and food and cab aggregators like Flipkart, Amazon, Zomato, Swiggy, Ola and Uber are part of the unorganized service sector in Haryana, the deputy CM said.
The Gig Workers Bill aims to establish a state-level board to facilitate the social and economic security of gig workers who deliver goods, services and food at the doorstep.
Chautta said that these workers operate on motorcycles, scooters and small vehicles, working part-time or full-time. They lack provisions for insurance, provident fund (PF), medical services or other allowances. The welfare board for the workers will work on similar lines as the one for building construction workers, he said, adding that the workers should be referred to as “mobility workers”, instead of gig workers.
“Numerous schemes are currently in place for the welfare of unorganised sector workers, encompassing financial aid for their children’s education and support for daughters’ marriages, grants and allowances for purchasing bicycles, among others,” he further said.
He also referred to the Central government’s initiative, the e-Shram portal, for worker registration.
About the Bill
Giving further details about the Gig Workers Bill and the composition of the board, Chautala said that the board will include representatives from the Excise and Taxation Department, Industry and Commerce Department, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Transport Department, Labour Department, as well as representatives of mobility workers and e-commerce companies. A nominal fee known as the Mobility Worker Welfare Cess iwill be charged for the services provided to consumers and will eventually be spent on the welfare of the workers.
While holding discussions with representatives from companies like Nasscom and Ola, Chautala also asked for their input on the Gig Workers Bill within a week. He said feedback from mobility workers will also be sought.
The Deputy Chief Minister informed that the process of establishing a similar board in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan has been initiated.
“The Haryana government is actively working towards the formation of a board aimed at the welfare of the youth engaged in the unorganised sector,” Chautala said.
Other states who have passed the similar Bill
On July 24, 2023, the Rajasthan Assembly passed the Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, 2023 and became the first state in India to pass legislation, which regulates the engagement of gig workers and aims to provide social security and other benefits to platform-based gig workers.
