Trade unions have formally demanded that India’s new Labour codes be amended to require app-based platforms to take specific actions to protect gig and app workers from exposure to extreme heat, after India again began experiencing punishing high temperatures that began in April.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 11 June 2026
India’s ‘10-minute’ quick-commerce home delivery model has been criticised for allegedly encouraging reckless riding by delivery workers, but the Government has now reportedly stepped in to urge the app platforms to abandon the time-bound delivery promise and do more to ensure the safety of the sector’s workers.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 13 February 2026
The working conditions and social security rights of app-based platform workers were in the public spotlight once again recently, after hundreds of Hyderabad-based delivery workers engaged by the e-commerce platform Zepto held a lengthy strike in protest over alleged problems such as unsafe working conditions, drastically reduced pay rates and a lack of employment redressal procedures.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 14 July 2025
App-based gig workers in Karnataka state will shortly gain new employment rights and access to certain social security benefits after the state governor formally gave assent to an ordinance, or law, aimed at ensuring the welfare of platform-based workers.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 11 June 2025
The proportion of India’s population covered under some form of cash paying social security protection has almost doubled in just three years, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 08 April 2025
The Union Government’s announcement that almost 10 million gig workers in India are to be immediately granted basic health insurance and allowed to register online to access social security benefits has been heralded as a “game changer” in extending employment and social security rights to workers in the unorganised sector.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 10 March 2025
India’s female gig workers recently withheld their labour on Diwali day in protest over poor working conditions and rights, and commentators say the success of their organisation via digital channels means a powerful new tool is emerging in the battle for marginalised workers to get their voices heard publicly.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 09 December 2024
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 October 2024
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 02 August 2024
Following recommendations from Rahul Gadhi, the Congress-ruled states of Rajasthan and Karnataka have begun introducing laws that will make platform-based gig workers eligible for certain social security benefits.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 August 2023
