Rahul Gandhi calls Gig workers the foundation of the nation.

HIGHLIGHTS

Rs 5 lakh accidental insurance and Rs 10 lakh health insurance for Gig workers.

Rahul Gandhi praises TG government for introducing Gig Workers act and Gig Workers Board

The BJP’s ideology considers Gig workers as “Slaves”

Congress’s ideology views Gig workers as “Partners”

Rahul Gandhi assures Gig workers of all kinds of support for education and healthcare of their families

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi speaks at the launch of the social security and welfare scheme for gig workers in Telangana today

Hyderabad: Honourable Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi praised the Telangana Government for introducing the historical Gig Workers act as well as the constitution of the Gig Workers Board for their welfare and the protection of their rights.

Participating in the launch of the social security and welfare scheme for gig workers in Telangana today, the congress leader observed that though the 21st century is the century of data and discussions about data are taking place globally, and data centers are being built, Gig workers have no access to the information about their performance , number of deliveries they completed, how much time it took, their earning and received payments. The big concern is that companies like Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Uber operate based on data but gig workers in India still do not have access to their own data.

Considering the challenges facing the gig workers, mainly the access to the information , Rahul Gandhi said that the legislation introduced by the Telangana government granted them the right to get the data. Now, the gig workers will have full access to information regarding the work they perform, the rides or deliveries they complete, and the exact payment received for each ride or transaction.

It is a big move the government was providing a guarantee to the gig workers, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha said that the information would be available on their mobile phones, allowing them to access it easily.

Rahul Gandhi recalled that “Some time ago, I met with gig workers in Telangana. They shared their hardships and struggles with me. I, along with the Congress party and our Chief Minister, promised that we would provide them with support, security, and protection. Today, we are fulfilling that promise.”

The Congress leader highlighted that the Telangana government was also building ‘rest zones’ for gig workers, equipped with Wi-Fi facilities since the gig workers were spending their entire day riding scooters in the heat to make deliveries in many cities in Telangana. Now, the workers can rest, park their vehicles, sit for a while, and take a break whenever needed. The Telangana government intends to set up such rest zones not only in Hyderabad but in all cities across the state.

Rahul Gandhi also explained the Telangana government’s initiative of providing insurance to the gig workers. If a gig worker meets with an accident or falls ill, they suffer a severe setback. When they are unable to work, their entire family faces a crisis.” Now, the Telangana government is providing an accident insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh and health insurance cover of Rs. 10 lakh for every gig worker.”

Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the gig workers should also receive a pension and have access to social security. To ensure this, for every transaction—whether it is a delivery (such as through Blinkit), the completion of an Uber ride, or any other service—1 percent of the transaction value will be contributed directly toward their future and security. Companies will be required to deposit this amount for every transaction into the Telangana Gig Workers Board. Subsequently, the Board will transfer these funds directly into the bank accounts of the gig workers.

TWO IDEOLOGIES :

The leader of the opposition compared the two ideologies of Congress and the BJP in the 21st century. The BJP and the RSS ideology is to reduce gig workers to the status of bonded laborers. The BJP ideology wants the gig workers to toil 24 hours a day, shed their blood and sweat, suffer injuries and hardships and even to face death and oppression with a motive of profiting the billionaires. They believe that the rewards and benefits of this hard labour should not go to the workers themselves, but rather to Ambani, Adani, Uber, and Ola.

The second ideology is that of the Congress party which considered the Gig workers as the foundation of this nation, laborers are the bedrock and the very basis of this country. Congress believed the gig workers as partners and ensured their protection. We aim to provide them with security and safeguards.

On one hand, the Congress party stands with gig workers. We provide them with insurance, ensure a guaranteed portion of earnings from every transaction, offer them designated spaces to rest, and strive to empower them as true partners. On the other hand, Narendra Modi, the RSS, and the BJP want to reduce gig workers to the status of bonded laborers while suppressing and marginalizing them.

Rahul Gandhi assured that the Telangana government and the entire Congress party stand in support of gig workers. The Congress was treating gig workers as partners and striving to take full responsibility for the education and healthcare of their families. Gig workers need not worry,” Rahul Gandhi assured .