Gig workers' bill to be presented in next Haryana cabinet meeting: Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala

PTI

Gurugram, January 16

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday said the Haryana government will present a bill in the upcoming cabinet meeting for the establishment of a welfare board for gig workers delivering goods, services and food at the doorstep.

Chautala said this during a meeting with representatives from various service-providing companies and senior officials from labour, transport and taxation departments here to discuss the Haryana Gig Workers Welfare Board Bill, 2024, an official statement said.

The deputy chief minister said 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 unorganised service sector in Haryana.

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, he said.

The government's proposal involves establishing a dedicated welfare board for these “mobility workers” on the lines of the one for construction workers, he added.

“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.

“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.

On July 24, 2023, the Rajasthan Assembly passed the Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, 2023, for the formation of a welfare board as well as a fund for platform-based gig workers in the state and to facilitate social security for them.

During their meeting with Chautala, representatives from companies such as Nasscom, Amazon, Zomato and others put forth their suggestions.

Chautala asked all companies to submit their feedback on the bill within a week and said the government will seriously consider their inputs.

Inputs regarding the bill will also be sought from “mobility workers”, he said.

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