While Karnataka’s Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025 aims to formalise precarious labour and guarantee insurance, pensions, and grievance mechanisms, its real-world impact remains uncertain. Platforms may shift the levy to workers via lower commissions or to consumers through higher prices, and compliance costs may disadvantage smaller aggregators, reinforcing market concentration. Karnataka’s experiment highlights both the promise and perils of subnational innovation in India’s gig economy. 

The........

© EPW