New Delhi: The Union government has moved to define eligibility for social security benefits for gig and platform workers, proposing that such workers must be engaged for a minimum of 90 days in a financial year with a single platform — or 120 days if working across multiple platforms — to qualify for coverage, according to draft labour rules released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The notification, dated December 30, 2025, was made public for comments from stakeholders and comes amid rising demands from delivery partners and other platform workers for improved pay and working conditions. The timing coincided with a strike by several gig workers on New Year’s Eve.
Eligibility criteria and engagement definition
Under the draft framework, a gig or platform worker — including those working for aggregators such as food delivery, ride-hailing, logistics or e-commerce platforms — would be eligible for social security benefits only if engaged for the prescribed number of days during the financial year.
The rules clarify how “engagement” is counted: a worker is considered to have been engaged on a day if they earn any income from work for an aggregator on that specific calendar day, regardless of the amount earned. If a worker is associated with multiple platforms, the number of engagement days will be added cumulatively. For example, working for three platforms on the same day would count as three engagement days.
Moreover, an eligible gig or platform worker includes those engaged directly by an aggregator or indirectly through an associate, subsidiary or third party, widening the definition of coverage.
Registration and digital IDs
The draft rules also emphasize the registration of unorganised workers on the designated central portal — including the national database maintained on the e-Shram portal — to enable access to social security schemes. Every eligible registered worker will be issued a digital identity card with a photograph and other details specified by the government.
The government has already initiated registration of workers on the e-Shram portal, which is meant to serve as the foundation for extending formal recognition and welfare access to millions of workers in the unorganised sector.
According to the draft notification, registered workers will be expected to regularly update their personal and occupational details such as address, occupation, mobile number and skill profile. Failure to update this information could affect eligibility for social security benefits.
Gig workers’ demands and strikes
The announcement of draft rules comes at a period of heightened activity among platform workers. Over the past weeks, unions and worker groups have organised protests and strikes, particularly over pay structures, lack of basic protections, and absence of formal employment rights, including social security coverage.
Industry platforms and delivery partners like Zomato and Swiggy have previously offered temporary incentive hikes around festive or peak periods to mitigate service disruptions during strike actions.
Meanwhile, MP Raghav Chadha spent a day with the gig workers amid the ongoing strike. He took to X to share a video of him interacting with the gig workers in Delhi. “…It’s tragic that millions of delivery riders who helped build instant-commerce companies into what they are today, are now forced to protest just to be heard. These platforms didn’t succeed because of algorithms alone. They succeeded because of human sweat and labour…” he wrote.
I sat down with delivery riders of Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit etc. This is not a rant. This is a conversation with those whose lives power our everyday comfort.
It’s tragic that millions of delivery riders who helped build instant-commerce companies into what they are today, are… pic.twitter.com/lcFKE8srfu
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) January 2, 2026
