India’s gig workers finally have a welfare board, but only Karnataka is walking the talk

On Tuesday, the Karnataka government issued a notification constituting the country’s first Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Development Board under the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare Development) Act, 2025.With compulsory worker registration, mandatory platform data-sharing, and welfare levies of 1–1.5% on every payout, Karnataka becomes the first Indian state to create a formal welfare architecture for gig and platform workers—a move that quietly rewires how India’s platform economy will be governed from now on.“This is a historic and inspiring moment for millions of gig and platform workers in India,” says Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) and Co-founder and National General Secretary of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT). He continues, “Karnataka has shown the way by institutionalising a welfare board that recognises gig workers as workers deserving dignity, rights, and social protection.” He adds that the Karnataka model should serve as a strong precedent for other states and the Centre to establish similar welfare boards and enact comprehensive legislation ensuring social security, fair wages, occupational safety, and grievance redressal mechanisms for gig and platform workers.What’s in itUnder the notification, the state’s labour minister will serve as the ex officio…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed