Govt’s big new year gift for gig workers:Swiggy, Zomato delivery boys can work for just 40 days in a year get health insurance, life insurance other benefits

A recent notification of the Ministry of Labour and Employment regarding the welfare of the gig workers in India contains a very interesting thing. The government of India has proposed to bring such a rule for the gig or platform workers working with aggregators like Zomato, Swiggy, etc that would allow them to avail all the benefits of the Central Government’s social security schemes like health insurance, accidental insurance, etc by working just 40 days in the entire year. Rest of all days, even if they sit idle or don’t work, they would still get all such benefits throughout the next year! Confused? How could government give such a huge benefit to the unorganised workers of our country. Well! Indeed! This is true! It was pending! But! The government of India has delivered. Lets see what the entire matter is all about! Actually, the Ministry of Labour and Employment had issued a notification on 30 December, 2025, in which new rules related to the welfare of the employees working in various organisations have been stated. Currently, these rules are basically proposals, only after pepper feebacks from the relevant people, these might be implemented. So, lets first decode what is this 40-day work a year about: Well! According to that notification, the government has proposed to bring such a rule that makes the gig or platform workers eligible for the social security schemes of the Central Government if that labour has worked for three companies in a single day for a total of 40 days.
Actually, the draft rule states that if an unorganised worker is engaged with multiple aggregators for a total of 120 days, then, he becomes qualified for the social security schemes. Well! The rules also state that if that employee has worked for three companies in a single day, then, the number of days he will be considered as employed will be three instead of one.
So, the requirement of minimum number of employed days actually reduces from 120 to 40 considering the employee works for three companies in a single day. Lets also decode in QA format what other proposals the government has made in that notification
1. How much work is required to qualify for benefits? Workers must have worked: 2. How is one “working day” counted? 3. What happens if a worker stops working? A worker will lose eligibility if: 4. Do workers need to register themselves somewhere? Yes! They are required to register themselves on a designated government portal. Registration is mandatory. Without registering on the central government portal, gig workers cannot receive any social security benefits. 5. What benefits would labours get under the Centre’s social security schemes? 6. What documents are needed for registration? Gig workers must provide the following details among other things: 7. Is there an age limit? Yes. Only workers who are 16 years or older can register and become eligible. 8. Why is the government doing this? Most gig workers do not get benefits like health insurance or pension. The government wants to provide financial safety and support during illness or accidents.