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Maharashtra Orders Stricter Verification for Gig and Delivery Workers

The move shifts accountability for background checks from faceless vendors to the platforms that hire and pay the workers.

Overview

  • Maharashtra's labour minister, who issued the order Tuesday after a joint meeting in Mumbai, told platforms to verify driver licences, vehicle registration and payment systems themselves.
  • Major apps such as Zomato, Swiggy and Blinkit now use app sign-ups and third-party verifiers, a setup officials say muddies who is responsible when checks are weak or invalid.
  • The state discussed, but has not finalized, cyber department registration for workers, QR-code ID cards and a statewide gig registry that would make each courier traceable across apps.
  • Officials also floated licensing rules for aggregators, routine audits with reports to police on flagged activity, accident insurance and a rider option to choose female drivers on cab apps.
  • India Today linked the push to political claims about undocumented migrants using forged papers, which opposition leaders dispute as polarizing, while the policy track stays focused on customer safety.