CM Siddaramaiah meets Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital on Friday.

Siddaramaiah had on Thursday met Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at his residence in the national capital to discuss the implementation of Gig Workers’ Welfare Act, as promised during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and elections. The meeting was also attended by Ministers Santosh Lad, Priyank Kharge, and M B Patil.

ದೆಹಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿಂದು ರಾಜ್ಯಸಭೆಯ ವಿಪಕ್ಷ ನಾಯಕರು, ಎಐಸಿಸಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು ಆದ @kharge ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿ ಮಾಡಿ, ಹಲವು ಮಹತ್ವದ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/HtLtZPRtmj

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 4, 2025

Key decisions from the meeting include decisions on the Gig Workers’ Welfare Board, Funding Mechanism and Legislation.The Karnataka government has decided to establish a Gig Workers’ Welfare Board to ensure the well-being of workers employed by companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Ola, Uber, and others.

A 5 per cent cess will be collected from concerned companies, while the remaining required funds will be provided by the state government to support welfare schemes for gig workers. A comprehensive bill covering all aspects of gig workers’ welfare will be prepared and presented before the state cabinet for approval.

In our meeting with Shri @RahulGandhi today, we reaffirmed our commitment to the promises made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the elections – especially to lakhs of gig workers who form the backbone of our digital economy.

We have decided to establish a Gig Workers’ Welfare… pic.twitter.com/2rqCq6vN8O

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 3, 2025

Three gig worker representatives, Rakshitha Dev (Karnataka), Salahuddin (Hyderabad), and Nikhil Dev, were also invited to the meeting. They appreciated the government’s initiative and expressed hope for better working conditions.

Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier advocated for gig workers’ rights during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, welcomed the eight-point proposal prepared by the Labour Department. He emphasized the need for swift implementation to safeguard gig workers’ interests.

The Karnataka Labour Department has already introduced three key bills- covering workers’ gratuity, cinema workers’ rights, and now, gig workers’ welfare. The unorganised workers’ sector has lauded the government’s efforts and extended full support for this progressive move. (ANI)