Workers or Contractors? The Gig Economy in India

With the exponential growth of gig platforms and gig work in India, efforts have been made to try and regulate their impact. In this backdrop, Fawaz and Shobhit speak with Soujanya Sridharan and Ritvik Gupta from Aapti Institute on how the gig economy is evolving in India.  They look at the state of gig work in India, the pros and cons of platformisation, the issues of algorithmic opacity and the ways in which legislative interventions can be applied. Soujanya Sridharan is a Manager at Aapti Institute. At Aapti, her research revolves around forging human-centric pathways to platform and data governance. Her interest in tech policy stems from her thesis research on labour unions within India’s IT industry.  Ritvik Gupta is a Senior analyst at Aapti Institute. Much of his work focuses on India's growing platform economy, particularly location-based, platform-mediated gig work.  Aapti is a public research institution that examines lived experiences at the intersection of technology and society. They generate insights for policy-making and technology development based on grounded research and analysis.  Resources:  Aapti - https://aapti.in/  India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy (NITI Ayog Report) - https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2022-06/25th_June_Final_Report_27062022.pdf  Karnataka’s ban on platform mediated auto services (2022) - https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/ktaka-bans-ola-uber-from-providing-auto-services-101665514024401.html  IFAT’s Writ Petition before the Supreme Court seeking social security for gig workers (2021) - https://www.scobserver.in/reports/gig-workers-access-to-social-security-the-indian-federation-of-app-based-transport-workers-ifat-v-union-of-india-writ-petition-summary/  Karnataka’s Gig Workers’s Bill - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/what-does-the-karnataka-bill-promise-gig-workers-explained/article68375781.ece  Aapti’s report on Building the Driver Advisory Council - https://aapti.in/blog/building-the-driver-advisory-council/  Joint comments by Aapti Institute, IFAT and Vidhi Legal on the Karnataka Platform Based Gig workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024 -  https://aapti.in/blog/joint-comments-by-aapti-institute-ifat-and-vidhi-legal-on-the-karnataka-platform-based-gig-workers-social-security-and-welfare-bill-2024/  Aapti’s Recommendations on the Karnataka Gig Workers (Conditions of Service and Welfare) Bill, 2024 - https://aapti.in/blog/recommendations-on-the-karnataka-gig-workers-conditions-of-service-and-welfare-bill-2024/  Hosts: Fawaz Shaheen, Shobhit Editor: Gopika P Fact Checker: Sukriti This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLUD. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at [email protected]  (The opinions expressed in the episode are personal to the speaker. The University does not subscribe to the views expressed in the episode and does not take any responsibility for the same.)

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