Gig workers and platform workers are all set to become part of India’s labour law legislation, which will give them some of the employment-related rights, reported Business Standard.

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The Ministry of Labour and Employment has proposed the Code on Social Security, 2019, in which it has recognised ‘gig workers’ and ‘platform workers', the BS report said. It is for the first time that the two terms are being used in the country's labour laws.

As per the draft Bill, these workers will be entitled to life and disability cover, benefits in old age and "other benefits", the report said. However, the report added that the workers will not be entitled to EPF and ESIS benefits as they fall under the unorganised sector.

According to the report, the proposal states that they will also not be entitled to gratuity benefits.

The draft, as per the report, defines a gig worker as a "person who performs work or participates in a work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of a traditional employer-employee relationship". It defines a platform worker as someone who is part of an organisation which "uses an online platform to access other organisations or individuals to solve specific problems or to provide specific services in exchange for payment".

The development comes as the size of the number of workers in the gig economy is ballooning in the country, added the report.