Gig workers’ unions in Karnataka on Sunday urged the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Board to adopt and roll out welfare schemes for platform workers, saying statutory benefits have yet to reach them.
The unions said there was an urgent need to provide social security to the nearly 7,00,000 active gig workers in the state, citing income shocks, health emergencies and the lack of accident protection faced by workers across food delivery, ride-hailing and e-commerce platforms.
They noted that aggregators have deposited the welfare fees due under the law before the Karnataka High Court and urged the Board to use the funds for the benefit of gig workers. The unions pointed out that no stay has been granted by the court on the Act and sought an urgent meeting of the Board to formally adopt the welfare schemes.
The Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025 makes Karnataka the second state in India, after Rajasthan, to formalise protections for platform workers. The Act requires aggregators such as Swiggy, Zomato, Ola, Uber, Zepto, Blinkit and Urban Company to pay a welfare fee of 1 to 5% on each transaction into a dedicated Welfare Fund.
The 16-member Welfare Board, chaired by the state labour minister, was constituted via notification dated January 27, 2026, with representatives from the government, aggregators, gig workers and civil society. Its mandate includes registering workers, implementing social security schemes, monitoring the welfare fee and ensuring algorithmic transparency.
Several platforms including Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit, Urban Company and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) have challenged the Act in the Karnataka High Court, contending that the Code on Social Security, 2020 already covers gig workers and that the state framework creates a double-compliance burden. The court has declined to stay the Act and directed the platforms to deposit welfare fees pending adjudication.
The unions also urged the Board to invite worker representatives and other stakeholders for consultations to ensure that the schemes address platform workers’ concerns, including health insurance, maternity benefits and accident coverage.
The government estimates that about 5,00,000 to 7,00,000 gig workers are engaged by platforms across Karnataka, with Bengaluru alone accounting for roughly 2.75 lakh workers across ride-hailing, e-commerce and food delivery, according to the state labour department.
