The Haryana Government is soon going to establish a state-level board dedicated to the social and economic security of gig workers involved in delivering goods, services, and food at the doorstep. The government will present a bill for consideration in the upcoming cabinet meeting titled The Haryana Gig Workers Welfare Board Bill-2024.
Deputy Chief Minister Mr Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday engaged in discussions regarding this proposal with representatives from various service-providing companies, officials from industrial and commercial organisations, and senior administrative officials from departments such as labor, transport, taxation, etc in Gurugram.
During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister highlighted that the unorganised service sector in Haryana comprises approximately 52.70 lakh workers, engaged with e-commerce giants such as Zomato, Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Flipkart, Amazon, etc. These workers, operating on bikes, scooters, and small vehicles, may work part-time or full-time, yet lack provisions for insurance, provident fund (PF), medical services, or other allowances.
The government's proposal involves establishing a dedicated welfare board for these mobility workers, akin to those for building construction workers. He proposed referring to them as 'mobility workers' instead of 'gig workers' and emphasized the potential benefits of creating a board for them. Such a board could offer financial assistance to these workers or their families in unforeseen circumstances.
The Deputy Chief Minister mentioned the Government of India's initiative, the e-Shram portal, for worker registration. He said that numerous schemes are currently in place for the welfare of unorganised sector workers, encompassing financial aid for their children's education, support for daughters' marriages, grants, and allowances for purchasing bicycles, among others.
The Deputy Chief Minister informed that the process of establishing a similar board in the neighboring state of Rajasthan has been initiated.
The Haryana Government is actively working towards the formation of a board aimed at the welfare of youth engaged in the unorganized sector. Emphasizing that the Haryana Gig Workers Welfare Board will undergo the necessary statutory procedures before its establishment, he outlined the composition of the board, which will include representatives from the Excise and Taxation Department, Industry and Commerce Department, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Transport Department, Labour Department, as well as representatives of mobility workers and e-commerce companies. The primary objective of this board will be to safeguard the rights of mobility workers. To fund the welfare initiatives for these workers, a nominal fee known as the Mobility Worker Welfare Cess may be imposed on the services provided to consumers, with the collected amount dedicated to the welfare of mobility workers.
During the meeting, representatives from companies such as Nasscom, Amazon, Zomato, and others shared their suggestions.
Deputy Chief Minister Mr Dushyant Chautala encouraged all companies to submit their feedback on the bill within a week, assuring that the government would give serious consideration to their input. Additionally, input from mobility workers will also be sought in this regard. Representatives of various companies who attended the meeting described this welfare initiative of the Haryana government as commendable.
Principal Secretary of Laboor Department Rajiv Ranjan, Excise and Taxation Commissioner Ashok Kumar Meena and other officials were present on this occasion.