Rajasthan becomes first state to pass law providing social security to gig workers

Rajasthan on Monday became the first state in the country to pass a law to provide social security to gig workers.

Gig workers are those who work temporary jobs, typically in the service sector as an independent contractor or freelancer. Delivery partners for food aggregators such as Swiggy or Zomato are gig workers.

The Rajasthan Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill was passed in the state Assembly without debate. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot introduced the Bill during the Budget Session in February.

The Bill gives rights to platform-based gig workers to register themselves with the state government, have access to social security schemes and and be heard in case of any grievances among other things, according to The Indian Express.

The workers operating in the state will be automatically registered as soon as they “onboard” an aggregator platform, irrespective of the duration of their association with the platform. The state government will maintain a database of the gig workers and generate a unique identification for each one of them, according to the Bill.

The Bill envisages setting up a welfare board for gig workers, comprising state government officials and two representatives each from among the gig workers and aggregators. This board will be led by the state labour minister and...

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