Non-profit's survey of 5,000-plus gig workers engaged with 20-plus platforms finds that these are full-time jobs. Report points to issues of health, income security & lack of regulation.
The gig sector is booming, but policy inaction, declining incentives from app-based companies, and skyrocketing fuel prices have trapped gig workers in a spiral of diminishing returns.
According to a senior government official, the plan, part of the Social Security Code enacted in 2020, could include accident, health insurance and retirement benefits.
India's experience with Coal Mines Provident Fund and Seamen's Provident Fund should lead us to ask if the idea of a centralised welfare fund is itself problematic, and prone to misuse.
Some platforms are pushing back against proposed fee they would have to pay for workers' welfare, while other industry bodies say that if done right, it could boost investment in economy.
Under the bill, online platforms will collect a surcharge of up to 2% on transactions & deposit it in a welfare fund to be run by workers, govt & industry representatives.
Investing in more capital than in employing labour can work in most countries. But India can't blindly emulate developed economies and reduce the amount of labour employed.
Driving an electric vehicle for months, the Hyundai IONIQ5, BMW iX and now the Kia Carens Clavis electric, has convinced me of the viability of EVs for city and mid-range commutes.
With the US-India trade deal yet to get done, rupee depreciation may be helping to mitigate India’s loss of competitiveness. The other problem is extreme despondence among overseas equity investors.
Of the total package, $649 million will be utilised for additional hardware, software, and support services, and the remaining for Major Defence Equipment (MDE).
Don’t blame misfortune. This is colossal incompetence and insensitivity. So bad, heads would have rolled even in the old PSU-era Indian Airlines and Air India.
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