Karnataka govt forms working group to determine quantum of welfare fee for gig workers
Bengaluru: In a significant step towards securing the rights of gig workers, the Karnataka government has constituted a multi-stakeholder working group to determine the quantum of fee to be levied towards securing the welfare of gig workers.
The working group comprises representatives from trade unions, legal experts, officials from the Department of Labour, and representatives of major e-Commerce companies, as reported by Deccan Herald on Wednesday.
The Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Ordinance proposes levying a 1-5% charge per transaction as welfare fee for the workers. However, it does not stipulate an exact percentage of the welfare fee to be charged for the various kinds of private players operating in this domain such as Swiggy, Zomato, Ola, among others.
The working group will also frame the rules for utilisation of the welfare fund, including guidelines for social security schemes and defining eligibility criteria for gig workers to access these benefits. The development comes amid growing calls for stronger protection mechanisms for gig workers, including by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who has long advocated for such a welfare initiative. The Congress party had included this proposal in its manifesto for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
The state government has already published the draft rules for the ordinance, DH reported. One of the key provisions mandates aggregators to establish internal dispute resolution committees. These bodies will allow terminated gig workers to appeal against their removal within seven days, and require companies to resolve such appeals within 15 days.
In addition, the draft rules call for the creation of a welfare board, comprising gig workers, industry representatives, and government officials. The board will be empowered to set and enforce standards for occupational safety and health in the sector.
To complement the regulatory framework, the government has also formed a second, 13-member group tasked with developing the necessary IT infrastructure. This team will oversee the registration of both gig workers and aggregators, and will implement measures for grievance redressal.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
