New Delhi, Sep 2, 2024 — The Congress party has criticized the government’s recent pledge to extend social security benefits to gig workers, accusing it of being late to address a pressing issue. This criticism comes after Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced that the government is exploring ways to ensure gig and platform workers receive social security coverage.
Congress General Secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, remarked that the government’s announcement signifies a belated acknowledgment of the need for a comprehensive national law for gig workers’ welfare. Ramesh suggested that the government could benefit from adopting the Congress party’s existing policies on this issue.
Ramesh highlighted that the Congress, under Rahul Gandhi, had actively pursued this issue during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and that Congress-led states like Karnataka and Rajasthan have already enacted legislation to protect gig workers. He also pointed out that gig worker welfare is a central component of the party’s Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee platform for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“The Government happily borrowed from the Congress’s Nyay Patra for the Union Budget. It is welcome to borrow its policy on gig workers from the party’s thinking on this urgent issue as well,” Ramesh stated on X.
In response, Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, during a review meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, assured that the government is committed to safeguarding the welfare of gig and platform workers. Mandaviya emphasized that the government is working on a comprehensive strategy to extend social security benefits to these workers.
“Our government is fully committed to the well-being of gig and platform workers, who form a crucial part of our workforce,” Mandaviya said. “We are actively exploring various avenues to provide them with the social security they deserve,” he added.
The Congress’s remarks underscore ongoing debates about the adequacy and timing of government measures to address the needs of gig workers, reflecting a broader political and policy discourse on worker welfare.
