Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has announced the formal implementation of a dedicated law for gig workers, offering ₹5 lakh life insurance, health cover of up to ₹10 lakh and a new welfare board for the sector. The framework will also provide workers with identity cards and unique identification numbers, according to the Chief Minister.
Revanth Reddy made the announcement while addressing a public meeting of gig workers at Jayabheri Grounds in Hyderabad on Saturday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud, ministers and other public representatives attended the event.
The Chief Minister said Telangana had fulfilled a promise made to gig workers during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2023. According to Revanth Reddy, workers who met Gandhi during his visit to Hyderabad had raised concerns about the absence of social security, income protection and legal recognition. Gandhi had assured them that a Congress government in Telangana would introduce a special law for their protection, he said.
Revanth Reddy described the legislation as the first dedicated gig workers law of its kind in the country. The claim was made at the public meeting and was not accompanied in the supplied account by the text of the legislation or details of its enactment date, coverage rules or financing mechanism.
Under the framework outlined by the Chief Minister, gig workers will receive life insurance coverage of ₹5 lakh and health insurance of up to ₹10 lakh through the Aarogyasri scheme. He said the benefits were intended to provide financial support to workers and their families in cases involving accidents, illness or other emergencies.
The proposed Gig Workers’ Welfare Board will serve as a dedicated institutional mechanism for the sector. Workers will be issued identity cards and unique identification numbers, which the government says will provide official recognition and help them access welfare benefits. Revanth Reddy said the legislation would create a structured system to safeguard workers’ rights, welfare and income security.
The announcement places the state’s platform-based workforce within a formal welfare framework, rather than treating gig work only as a private contractual arrangement between workers and companies. However, the supplied account does not specify which categories of workers or platforms are covered, how workers will be registered, whether platform companies will contribute to the scheme, or how claims and grievances will be processed.
Revanth Reddy said the government was committed to ensuring that the benefits reached gig workers effectively and would continue to support the sector in the years ahead. He also credited social activist Nikhil Dey and others with contributing to the drafting and implementation of the legislation. The formal operation of the welfare board, worker registration process and insurance benefits will determine how the announced framework is delivered on the ground.
