Govt faces an uphill task in providing social protections to gig workers

While Budget 2025 laid out plans to provide health insurance to gig and platform workers, awareness of government initiatives remains low among the target group

As the sun sets, Inderesh Singh (41) wraps up his shift after completing 20 deliveries. Last month, a road accident left him with severe bruises on his right forearm and leg, forcing him to take two weeks off work.

 

“My savings vanished covering medical bills. If my company had provided health insurance, it would have helped immensely,” he says.

 

Singh, employed through a contractor for a quick-commerce platform, is one of millions in India’s rapidly growing gig workforce, which is projected by NITI Aayog to reach 23.5 million by 2029-30. It is a workforce that functions with practically no social