India parliament panel calls for tighter protection for gig workers

NEW DELHI: An Indian parliamentary panel has recommended mandatory registration of gig workers on a national labour database, while calling for clearer legal obligations for digital platforms to contribute to their social security.

The Standing Committee on Labour said in a report on Tuesday that gig workers on digital platforms had become an “integral part of the modern supply chain,” particularly in cities delivering food, transport and other on-demand services, but many remained outside formal labour registration and social security systems.

To bridge the gap, the committee has recommended that all platform aggregators, such as Swiggy, Ola and Zomato, must register gig workers on the government’s e-Shram portal, a national database for unorganised workers.

Engagement of such workers should be linked to this registration, the panel said.

The recommendations come as India’s gig economy expands rapidly, with millions working on app-based platforms in sectors such as ride-hailing, logistics and food delivery.

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The Indian government announced in November last year the implementation of four labour codes, overhauling decades-old rules governing factories and workers while promising social security benefits for gig and platform workers.

These benefits have not been implemented so far.

There are no official estimates for the size of India’s gig economy, although government think tank NITI Aayog expects the sector to employ 23.5 million people, or about 7% of the non-farm workforce, by 2030.

The committee also proposed that registration remain valid for at least one year, with gig workers continuing to receive basic social security benefits, including insurance and accident cover, even if they stop working with a particular aggregator.

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It also urged the government to include clearer provisions for gig and platform workers in labour codes, defining aggregator responsibilities and ensuring contributions to social security schemes.

The report further called for stronger social security coverage for workers in non-traditional employment arrangements as India’s digital economy evolves.