00:05If your food arrives in 10 minutes, it's because somebody stood in 40 degree heat to get it to
00:13you. On International Labour Day, India celebrates workers, but millions of gig workers, delivery
00:19riders, drivers, freelancers are still fighting for basic protection. While we stay indoors,
00:26avoiding the heat, they are out there riding through it.
00:33In 2020, the government passed the Code on Social Security, finally recognizing gig workers and
00:40their rights. In 2025 November, it came into force. On paper, they are entitled to insurance,
00:46pensions, provident funds, work standards, etc. But in reality, most of these benefits don't exist
00:53yet because the rules to actually implement them are still missing in many states. India has over
00:597.7 million gig workers. Nearly half of them work on digital platforms, delivering what we need when
01:07we need it. Some states are stepping up. In 2023, Rajasthan created a welfare board, a social security
01:14fund and even added a small fee on every order to fund worker benefits. The irony, however, is that
01:22while the law may have been passed in 2023, the rules for its actual implementation don't yet exist.
01:29But it still doesn't fully address safety or working conditions. And that's also changing very slowly.
01:36In 2025, Karnataka and Bihar passed legislations talking about reasonable working conditions. Things
01:43like rest breaks, sanitation and safer work environments. Bihar law even wants rest stops for workers across
01:50districts paid for by the platform. In Delhi, there's no law yet, but there are promises. In other states,
01:58they're still catching up and debating the law. So right now, India has laws. It has the framework.
02:05It has political promises. But for most gig workers, their rights still exist only on paper. And as the
02:13gig economy grows, the real question is, how long will the people powering our convenience have to wait
02:20for basic protection?
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