In a significant development, the Karnataka government has announced life and accident insurance of Rs 4 lakh to e-commerce delivery employees working with Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon etc. The amount includes Rs 2 lakh life insurance and Rs 2 lakh accident insurance and covers both full-time and part-time delivery persons. The announcement was made during the budget presentation by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, July 7.
The decision was welcomed by the United Food Delivery Partners’ Union (UFDPU), a union working for the rights of delivery workers in the state. "The rights of gig workers were not recognised in the state despite repeated appeals sent to the government. We welcome the government's decision to announce Rs 4 lakh life and accident insurance for delivery workers of Swiggy, Zomato," read a statement released by the union.
The union further asked the state government to formally recognise gig economy workers and provide them with the government benefits given to workers in other sectors. The union also appealed that a law should be introduced to stop the exploitation of gig workers.
Two months ago, during the campaign for Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met gig workers in Bengaluru. He had a candid conversation with workers from Swiggy, Zomato, and Dunzo, among others about the challenges they faced.