Now, gig workers across at least 320 e-commerce platforms can hope for some security cover thanks to the Maharashtra government’s initiative in this direction. The state government is preparing to roll out a social security framework to safeguard the interests of the over five lakh gig workers working for various e-commerce, aggregator and service platforms.
The policy, once finalized and approved will reportedly be announced at the end of this year. It will contain provisions for providing accident and health insurance to gig/ platform-based workers in addition to pension schemes, skill development opportunities, and monetary assistance in case of emergencies.
The labour department has prepared a draft bill, which suggests a cess on companies, which will be linked to their tax and GST payments. The money thus collected can then go into a welfare fund from where it can be used to provide health insurance, life cover, fixed income, and even educational benefits for gig workers and their dependents. A similar cess for construction workers has already been tried and tested, with one per cent cess on project expenditures going into a fund that gets at least Rs 100 crore a year. This is then used for the benefit of construction workers and their families.
While the Centre reportedly approves of the proposal, the bill is awaiting presentation in the winter session after all stakeholders have been consulted.
A mapping of gig workers is already underway under the eye of the labour department. This will help prepare a centralised database, which is integral to providing legal protection and welfare benefits to them.
