Rajasthan Assembly Passes Bill Extending Social Security To Gig Workers Without Debate

The Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill which extends certain “rights” to gig workers

Rajasthan passes bill extending social security to gig workers/Representational Image

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Rajasthan Assembly on Monday passed a Bill extending social security to gig workers but without any debate amid uproar in the House following sacking of minister Rajendra Gudha. At 2 pm, when the House reconvened the Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs again stormed the well and resumed their protest over “red diary” which Gudha alleged contained incriminating details of Ashok Gehlot government’s misdeed. As the proceedings of the House resumed amid commotion, Speaker CP Joshi and Congress rushed through four legislations, as per an Indian Express report. 

The four legislations included the Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill which extends certain “rights” to gig workers. These include being registered with the state, having access to general and specific social security schemes, and having an opportunity to be heard for any grievances, among others, as per the report. 

Setting up of a Platform Based Gig Workers Welfare Board is one of the components of the law which will have two representatives each from among gig workers and from aggregators, to be nominated by the state government, apart from bureaucrats. 

Under the law, all the gig workers and aggregators in the state will be registered and the state government will maintain a database of the gig workers and generate a unique ID for every one of them.

The Bill also seeks to set up the “Platform Based Gig Workers Fund and Welfare Fee”, under which, a social security and welfare fund will be established for gig workers. Apart from other sources, a fee will be levied on aggregators, “which shall be at such rate (per cent) of the value of each transaction related to a platform-based gig worker, as may be notified by the state government,” the report stated. 

In case, an aggregator fails to pay the welfare fee within time, they will be penalised with an interest of 12 per cent per annum from the date on which the payment would be due. 

Violation of any other clause of the Act by the aggregators will invite a fine of Rupees 5 lakh for the first contravention and up to Rs 50 lakh for subsequent contraventions.