Telangana has launched platform-based gig worker rules and an insurance package that includes accident cover of up to ₹5 lakh, health insurance of ₹10 lakh and a proposed welfare fund supported by a one per cent contribution from every delivery and transport transaction.
The measures were announced at a gig workers’ meeting attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday. The package is aimed at delivery personnel and transport workers who spend long hours on motorcycles and other vehicles across Hyderabad and other urban areas.
Gandhi said the Telangana government was fulfilling commitments made to gig workers before the Congress came to power in the state. He said the new framework would provide workers with greater access to information about their rides, earnings and delivery activity through their mobile phones.
The announcement identifies information access as a central part of the proposed system. According to Gandhi, workers would be able to see details related to their rides, the amounts involved and other transaction information. He contrasted this with the limited availability of data on gig workers’ working time, delivery duration and earnings across the country.
The state government has also established rest centres with Wi-Fi facilities in Hyderabad and other urban areas. These centres are intended to provide gig workers with places to rest while working, particularly as delivery and transport personnel spend extended periods on the road in difficult weather conditions.
The insurance package announced at the meeting includes accident coverage of up to ₹5 lakh and health insurance of ₹10 lakh. Gandhi also said that social security benefits, including pension support, would be extended to gig workers under the state’s measures.
A one per cent contribution from every delivery and transport transaction is expected to be channelled into a welfare fund. The fund is to be managed through a Gig Workers’ Board and is intended to benefit workers directly. The announcement did not provide details on the collection mechanism, the eligibility process, the timeline for operationalising the board or how disputes over contributions would be handled.
The measures place gig worker welfare within the administration of urban transport, delivery and digital platform activity. Delivery workers and transport personnel are a visible part of Hyderabad’s everyday economy, but their working conditions are closely tied to platform data, transaction values, road travel and access to basic facilities during shifts.
Gandhi said the Telangana government would continue to support gig workers and their families through education and healthcare initiatives. He also assured workers that the state would stand by them and provide support to their families. The government’s next steps will include implementing the platform-based rules, administering the insurance benefits and establishing the welfare fund through the proposed Gig Workers’ Board.
