The State government has promulgated the Karnataka Platform Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Ordinance, 2025, which aims to create a welfare fund for platform-based gig workers and place obligations on aggregators.
The government has taken the Ordinance route to implement the welfare provisions. The Cabinet cleared the Bill in April, 2025, but it took the Ordinance route since the State legislature is not on. The Ordinance would be replaced by a Bill during the monsoon session of the legislature.
It emphasises the rights of gig workers, proposes a welfare fee of 1% to 5% of the payout to the worker during each transaction. All such fees received would go to the welfare fund for the workers.
Board to be established
The State government would establish the Karnataka Platform Based Gig Workers Welfare Board to exercise the powers to notify general or sector specific social security and other benefits that to be implemented by the board within the time frame specified by the State government. The headquarters of the board shall be at Bengaluru.
It aimed to protect the rights of platform-based gig workers, to place obligations on aggregators or platforms in relation to social security, occupational health and safety, transparency in automated monitoring and decision-making systems.
The Ordinance envisages to provide dispute resolution mechanisms and to establish a welfare board and create a welfare fund for platform-based gig workers, to register platform-based gig workers and aggregator or platform in the State.
A gig workers’ welfare board will be established to ensure registration of workers by the platforms, welfare fee collection and implementation of social security schemes. Aggregators have been mandated to furnish their database of all gig workers to the board within 45 days from the commencement of the Act.
The Bill also seeks to introduce a Payment and Welfare Fee Verification System in a bid to introduce transparency to the collection of welfare fee. Every payment made to the workers and the welfare fee deducted by the aggregators shall be sent to the system.
Medical course
It also promulgated the Karnataka Compulsory Service by Candidates completed Medical Courses (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, to provide candidates a conditional no-objection certificate to pursue higher studies like super-specialty or fellowship in universities established by law upon submitting an affidavit or undertaking stating their commitment to fulfil the obligation of one-year compulsory service post-completion of the higher studies.
If candidates fail, then they are liable for penalty and such other consequences specified in the affidavit or undertaking.
Counselling
The government also promulgated the Karnataka State Civil Service (Regulation of Transfer of Medical Officers and Other Staff) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, for bringing transparency in transfers through counselling and filling crucial posts on priority.
Published – May 28, 2025 12:35 am IST
