THE STATE CABINET OF TELANGANAis proposing to enact the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers (Registration, Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025 mandating transparency in the algorithmic management of gig workers. The law would prohibit arbitrary termination, requiring a seven-day notice period before deactivation except in safety-related cases. By compelling algorithmic disclosure in task allocation, bonuses, and ratings, Telangana’s proposed framework is expected to become India’s most comprehensive legislative measure for gig worker protection, surpassing similar initiatives in Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.
This state-level intervention reveals two crucial insights. On one hand, it suggests that contemporary labour protection increasingly entails the regulation of technology, and on the other hand, it underscores that the national law governing technology and data, namely, the Digital Personal Data Protection (‘DPDP’) Act, 2023 does not incorporate labour law principles to harmoniously protect the interest of gig workers, arguably, the most vulnerable stakeholders in India’s expanding digital economy.
