Jaipur: Even as the Centre has put in place a legal framework to extend social security benefits to gig and platform workers, it has told Parliament that it has not conducted any national survey to estimate their numbers, working conditions, income, social security coverage or employment stability.In a written reply to a joint question by Congress MPs Kuldeep Indora (Sriganganagar), Sanjna Jatav (Bharatpur), Brijendra Singh Ola (Jhunjhunu) and Rahul Kaswan (Churu), Union minister of state for labour and employment Shobha Karandlaje said no such survey report was available.Instead, the Centre said it relied on a 2022 NITI Aayog report, which estimated that India had 7.7 million gig and platform workers in 2020-21. The report projected the number to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.Replying to a question on whether the Centre had prepared a comprehensive social security framework for gig workers, the ministry said the Code on Social Security, 2020, which came into force on Nov 21, 2025, for the first time recognises gig and platform workers in law and enables the govt to frame welfare schemes covering life and disability insurance, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old-age protection and other social security measures.The Code also provides for the creation of a Social Security Fund and a National Social Security Board for the welfare of gig and platform workers.The ministry said the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026, notified on May 8, operationalise these provisions by mandating registration of gig and platform workers on the Centre’s portal. The rules also require digital aggregators to share worker-related data electronically, prescribe eligibility criteria for welfare benefits and strengthen accountability of aggregators.However, the ministry did not indicate whether it had undertaken any study on issues such as algorithm-based work allocation, income determination, incentive structures, account suspension or grievance redressal mechanisms used by digital platforms.Reacting to the reply, Churu MP Rahul Kaswan questioned the Centre’s reliance on four-year-old estimates. “The govt is trying to regulate a booming gig economy with data older than many of the workers themselves. In 2026, relying on 2020-21 figures is not just lazy policymaking — it reflects a deliberate blindness to the precarious reality of millions of gig workers,” Kaswan said.He added, “When platforms know exactly how many kilometres a delivery worker has ridden and how many orders they delivered yesterday, the govt’s claim that it does not have updated data rings hollow. Outdated statistics produce outdated justice. The Centre and several states are putting in place legal and policy frameworks to provide social security and welfare benefits to the country’s rapidly growing gig and platform workforce.”
