Karnataka Assembly passes Bill for welfare of gig workers
Bengaluru, Aug 19 (PTI): Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill that aims to protect the rights of platform-based gig workers, and to place obligations on aggregators in relation to the workers' social security, occupational health, and safety.
Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025, proposes a welfare fee of 1 to 5 percent of the payout to the worker during each transaction, for different categories of aggregators or platforms.
The Bill provides for transparency in automated monitoring and decision-making systems to provide dispute resolution mechanisms; establish a gig workers welfare board; create a welfare fund for platform-based gig workers; and require platform-based gig workers to be registered with the Board.
Also, provide registration of aggregators or platforms; and provide income security and reasonable working conditions to the platform-based gig workers.
Earlier, the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Ordinance, 2025 was promulgated in May, as the matter was urgent and both Houses of the State Legislature were not in session.
Piloting the Bill for the consideration of the House, Labour Minister Santosh Lad said, "Gig economy, delivery services -- e-commerce or food delivery -- are growing in a big way year-on-year. According to the NITI Ayog report, by 2029-30, about 23.5 million workers are expected to be part of it. As per the information we have in Karnataka, it is about 4 lakh gig workers."
Noting that gig workers work both full and part-time, and they work amid traffic and pollution, he said, "to earn Rs 1,600 to 1,800 he has to work for 16 hours. One work is considered one gig, and a worker may get 25 to 30 gigs."
Rules under this legislation are already in process, he said.
"Welfare fee of 1-5 percent of a gig worker's payout will be collected. This cannot be equally applied to everyone as Swiggy, Zomato businesses will be different from e-commerce and so on. They are different kinds of businesses. So 1-5 per cent will not be levied equally on everyone. We will discuss and decide on it while framing rules."
The provisions of the bill are applicable to services provided by aggregator or platform -- ride sharing services; food and grocery delivery services; logistics services; e-Market place (both marketplace and inventory model) for wholesale/retail sale of goods and/or services - Business to Business /Business to Consumer (B2B/B2C); professional activity provider; healthcare; travel and hospitality; and content and media services.
Lad said, as per the bill, an aggregator cannot terminate a gig worker from service without prior notice of 14 days and without providing valid reasons in writing.
The Assembly also passed the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill that will allow municipal commissioners to regularise unlawful buildings by levying a penalty.
It also exempts small properties from requiring commencement certificates (CC) and occupancy certificates (OC).
The Karnataka Ports (Landing and Shipping Fees) (Amendment) Bill was also passed. The Bill aims to revise the fees on goods shipped in such intervals, as prescribed by the rules; and to increase or decrease the percentage of fee by the Government by notification if fees are not revised within time.
Also passed was the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance (Amendment) Bill, with an intention to extend the provisions of the said original Act for a further period of ten years.
The original act aims to curb illegal strikes, ensuring the delivery of essential services to the people.
The Karnataka Souharda Sahakari (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was also passed by the Assembly to make Souharda Cooperatives maintain 20 percent of the total deposits as State Statutory Liquid Reserve to manage increasing cases of misappropriation.
The move is said to be aimed at protecting the interests of depositors.
Among other things, the Bill also provides for funds which are not immediately required for use by a Souharda Co-operative to be invested or deposited outside its business.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
