Congress nominates Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh in MP
New Delhi: With less than a month remaining before the commencement of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party unveiled its fourth list of 46 candidates on Saturday, marking a significant stride in its election strategy.
The latest list features several notable figures, including former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Karti Chidambaram, and Danish Ali, the latter having recently joined the party on Wednesday. However, the list is also noteworthy for its exclusions.
Digvijaya Singh, currently serving as a Rajya Sabha MP, has been nominated as the Congress candidate from his erstwhile Lok Sabha constituency of Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh.
Singh, a seasoned politician, had last tasted victory in a general election from the same constituency back in 1991. His decision to contest once again is poised to be a formidable challenge, particularly considering the Congress party's performance in the state during the 2019 elections, wherein it managed to secure victory in only one out of the 29 parliamentary seats. Notably, in the previous election, Singh contested against Pragya Thakur of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Bhopal constituency and suffered a defeat by a significant margin of over 3.5 lakh votes.
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Karnataka launches India’s first digital grievance system for gig workers
Bengaluru: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, the Karnataka government has launched a digital grievance redressal system for gig workers to provide structured support and protection to platform-based workers.
According to The Hindu, the system, developed by the Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers’ Board in collaboration with the Department of e-Governance, allows workers to file complaints through the Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System (IPGRS).
Gig workers can raise issues related to pay, working conditions, and platform-specific disputes. Complaints will be routed to the Internal Dispute Resolution Committees (IDRCs) of respective platforms and are expected to be resolved within a defined timeframe. This is expected to bring transparency and legal recourse for a workforce that has so far operated without a formal dispute resolution framework.
Under The Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act and Rules, every aggregator platform must constitute an Internal Dispute Resolution Committee (IDRC). Platforms such as Namma Yatri and Yulu have already integrated their IDRC contact details with the government portal.
Around 12 lakh gig workers have been identified in the state, and a unique identification system is being developed to remove duplicate entries. Officials said welfare schemes are also being designed based on type of work, working hours, and contribution.
Labour Minister Santosh Lad said that Karnataka, technology capital of the country, is leveraging this potential for worker welfare as well. “By launching this system, we are ensuring that the gig economy is no longer an informal space, but a structured one where every worker’s voice is heard,” he said.
“The schemes will vary based on the type of platforms. For example, cab rides are mostly undertaken by men whereas urban domestic activity is undertaken mostly by women. It may also be based on the contribution made, and the quantum of gig work done by a gig worker. Some gig workers work for more than eight hours while some may work on a few gigs. So, work load, nature of work, and time period of work could vary,” TH quoted G. Manjunath, Additional Labour Commissioner and CEO of the Board as saying.
“It has to be scientifically structured based on their effort and labour. We are working with experts, including academicians from Briston University, King’s College, and IISc, and other stake holders, including board members,” he said.
Officials added that aggregator platforms will be required to contribute 1 per cent towards worker welfare, with implementation beginning July 5.
