Rahul Gandhi launches gig worker welfare scheme and data access initiative in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi participated in a bike rally alongside gig workers in Hyderabad on Saturday, where he launched a welfare scheme designed to grant platform-based workers direct digital access to their work records, earnings and completed rides.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other senior Congress leaders also took part in the demonstration. Visuals from the event showed Gandhi riding pillion on a scooty driven by a female gig worker, while Reddy similarly rode pillion behind another worker during the rally through the city.

Addressing the formal launch of the Telangana Gig Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Scheme, Gandhi emphasised the central role of data in the modern economy. He noted that while major technology and platform corporations operate entirely on user and operational data, gig workers in India had previously been denied ownership or access to their own professional information.

“The 21st century is the century of data. Data is discussed across the country; data centres are being set up. Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Uber – all of these function on the strength of data. But gig workers were not getting their own data in India until now,” Gandhi said, as reported by the news agency ANI.

Under the newly launched framework, the Telangana government will ensure that all operational metrics—including the details of work undertaken, completed rides and payments received—will be directly accessible to workers via their mobile phones.

The initiative forms a core component of the Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2026, which was passed by the state legislature in March this year. The legislation establishes several regulatory protections for platform workers, mandating that aggregators can only terminate gig workers for valid reasons. Furthermore, any termination must be communicated in writing with a minimum of seven days’ notice. The law also places legal obligations on digital platforms to ensure timely wage payments and maintain safe working environments.

In addition to data access and employment protections, Gandhi detailed several welfare benefits integrated into the legislation. Gig workers will be covered under a ₹5 lakh accident insurance policy and a ₹10 lakh health insurance scheme.

Highlighting the physical hardships endured by delivery personnel and drivers who navigate urban areas under extreme weather conditions without basic amenities, Gandhi announced that the state administration would establish dedicated infrastructure for workers. The Telangana government is set to construct Wi-Fi-enabled rest zones across Hyderabad and other urban centres throughout the state.

“You move across the cities of Telangana under the sun; you deliver goods, but you do not have dedicated places to rest. So, the Govt of Telangana is going to set up Wi-Fi-enabled rest zones where you can park your vehicle, rest, sit, relax or sleep in Hyderabad and all cities of the state,” Gandhi stated.

According to the Congress leader, the rollout of the scheme represents the practical realisation of commitments made during prior consultations with the state’s gig economy workforce. He recalled holding previous meetings where workers communicated their daily grievances and occupational challenges, prompting assurances of protective legislative action from the party leadership and the state government.

During his address, Gandhi also criticised the political opposition, alleging that the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is structurally focused on serving major corporate capitalists such as “Adani, Ambani” while reducing ordinary workers to conditions akin to bonded labour, according to the news agency PTI.