Government To Roll Out Policy For Gig Workers
The rise in quick commerce and online aggregator services has resulted in an increase in the number of gig workers in India. As per data released by Niti Aayog, India has 7.7 million gig workers. The number is going to touch 23.5 million by the end of the decade.
If numbers tell a story, then it is safe to assume that gig workers are already a sizeable chunk of the workforce in India. And when stakeholders increase in a particular segment of the economy, the gig economy, in this case, policy advocacy around the subject also increases. Although the Code of Social Security 2020 provides schemes for the welfare of gig workers, the picture is not clear when it comes to the implementation of the welfare schemes.
It has been now learnt that the Indian government is reportedly working to ensure that gig workers, who work on a freelance or contractual basis, have access to benefits such as health insurance, pension, and maternity leave. The government is currently in the process of finalizing a policy framework for the same. It will be interesting to see the final policy framework for the benefit of gig workers and the inclusions and exclusions thereof under the social security umbrella for a growing workforce in India.
