Hyderabad : Forum For Progressive Gig Workers in India have urged the Government of Telangana to adopt a balanced, growth-oriented, and future-ready regulatory approach while finalizing the Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers Bill, 2026, emphasizing the need to protect worker welfare without undermining the flexibility and scalability that define the platform economy.
In a representation submitted to the Government, the forum welcomed Telangana’s progressive intent to recognize platform-based gig workers and build a welfare framework for the sector. The representation noted that Telangana has emerged as one of India’s leading digital economy hubs, where the platform economy plays a critical role in enabling flexible earning opportunities, entrepreneurship, logistics efficiency, and economic participation for thousands of individuals, including women, students, migrants, and first-time workers.
K. Narsimhan, Convener, Forum For Progressive Gig Workers in India, said, “Telangana has the opportunity to create a model framework that balances worker welfare with innovation, flexibility, entrepreneurship, and economic growth,” the representation stated. While social security and worker welfare are important policy objectives, an overly prescriptive or employment-style regulatory framework could unintentionally disrupt the operational flexibility that enables the gig economy to function effectively at scale.”
Among the key recommendations made to the Government were:
• Preserving the distinction between gig work and traditional employment relationships, as recognized under the Code on Social Security, 2020.
• Ensuring compliance obligations remain practical, proportionate, and suited to the realities of platform-based work.
• Avoiding duplication of regulatory mechanisms already covered under existing laws and institutional frameworks.
• Creating a predictable and sustainable welfare contribution framework aligned with central legislation.
• Encouraging continued investment, innovation, platform growth, and earning opportunities across Telangana’s digital economy ecosystem.
The representation noted that certain provisions resembling traditional employment structures — including fixed remuneration frameworks, notice periods, enquiry processes, and restrictions around operational flexibility — may create legal uncertainty and impact the efficiency of platform-based services.
It further emphasized that the objective should not be to regulate the gig economy in a manner analogous to conventional employment relationships, but rather to create a modern, flexible, and sustainable framework tailored to the evolving nature of platform work.
The representation also urged the Government to undertake wider stakeholder consultations before finalizing the Rules to ensure that the framework remains practical, implementable, and supportive of long-term economic growth and job creation.
The forum reiterated their commitment to constructive engagement with the Government and expressed willingness to support further consultations and policy discussions on the issue.