Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah meets Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi

ANI April 4, 2025 301 views

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met with Congress leadership in Delhi to discuss groundbreaking gig workers welfare initiatives. The comprehensive plan includes establishing a dedicated welfare board and implementing a five percent cess from tech companies. Representatives from the gig worker community were invited to provide insights into their working conditions. This progressive move signals a significant step towards protecting and supporting workers in the unorganized sector.

"We are committed to safeguarding gig workers' interests" - Siddaramaiah
New Delhi, April 4: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital on Friday.

Key Points

1

Karnataka to establish Gig Workers' Welfare Board with 5% company cess

2

Meeting included Rahul Gandhi and key ministers

3

Comprehensive welfare bill to be drafted for cabinet approval

Siddaramaiah had on Thursday met Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at his residence in the national capital to discuss the implementation of Gig Workers' Welfare Act, as promised during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and elections.

The meeting was also attended by Ministers Santosh Lad, Priyank Kharge, and M B Patil.

Key decisions from the meeting include decisions on the Gig Workers' Welfare Board, Funding Mechanism and Legislation.The Karnataka government has decided to establish a Gig Workers' Welfare Board to ensure the well-being of workers employed by companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Ola, Uber, and others.

A five per cent cess will be collected from concerned companies, while the remaining required funds will be provided by the state government to support welfare schemes for gig workers.

A comprehensive bill covering all aspects of gig workers' welfare will be prepared and presented before the state cabinet for approval.

Three gig worker representatives, Rakshitha Dev (Karnataka), Salahuddin (Hyderabad), and Nikhil Dev, were also invited to the meeting. They appreciated the government's initiative and expressed hope for better working conditions.

Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier advocated for gig workers' rights during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, welcomed the eight-point proposal prepared by the Labour Department. He emphasized the need for swift implementation to safeguard gig workers' interests.

The Karnataka Labour Department has already introduced three key bills- covering workers' gratuity, cinema workers' rights, and now, gig workers' welfare. The unorganised workers' sector has lauded the government's efforts and extended full support for this progressive move.

Reader Comments

Here are 5 authentic comment cards for the article:
P
Priya K.
This is such a positive step! Gig workers have been neglected for too long. Hope other states follow Karnataka's lead 👏
R
Rahul S.
Finally some concrete action after all the promises. The 5% cess seems reasonable - companies making billions should contribute to worker welfare.
A
Anjali M.
While I appreciate the initiative, I wonder how they'll ensure proper implementation. Many good policies fail at execution stage. Hope they have a solid monitoring mechanism.
V
Vikram P.
My brother drives for Uber and works 12-hour days with no benefits. This gives us hope! Thank you for listening to workers' voices 🙌
S
Sanjay T.
Good to see actual worker representatives included in the meeting. That's how policy-making should work - with input from those affected.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
Karnataka Politics Siddaramaiah Mallikarjun Kharge Gig Workers Congress Labour Welfare Rahul Gandhi
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