Money Bills, Electroencephalography, One Scientist One Product

(General Studies III – Economy Section – Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment. Inclusive Growth and issues arising from it.)

• Gig workers are individuals who engage in short-term, flexible jobs or “gigs,” often facilitated by digital platforms or apps.
• These workers typically operate as independent contractors, performing tasks ranging from ride-sharing and food delivery to freelance writing and graphic design.

Issues Faced by Gig Workers –

1. Lack of employment status:  According to a 2020 survey by the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), 95.3% of gig workers are not registered as employees with the platforms they work for.
2. Income insecurity: A 2021 study by Fairwork India found that none of the 11 major platforms they evaluated could ensure that all their workers earned at least the local minimum wage after accounting for work-related costs.
3. Absence of social security benefits: NITI Aayog’s 2022 report on India’s gig economy revealed that only 23% of gig workers have access to any form of social security or insurance scheme.
4. Unregulated working hours: A 2021 survey by the Centre for Internet and Society found that 48% of ride-hailing drivers and 39% of delivery workers reported working more than 12 hours a day.
5. Limited collective bargaining rights: As of 2022, there are no officially recognized unions for gig workers in India, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
6. Occupational safety concerns: A 2022 study published in the International Journal of Health Services found that 90% of surveyed gig workers in India did not have any occupational accident insurance provided by their platforms.
7. Gender disparity: According to NITI Aayog’s 2022 report, women make up only 15% of the gig workforce in India.

Recent Legislative Efforts –

1. Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024
2. Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023
3. These bills aim to provide social security and welfare measures for gig workers through a welfare board model.

Limitations of the Bills –

1. Failure to address employment relations:
2. Both bills avoid classifying platform companies as employers, instead using the term “aggregators.”
3. This omission prevents gig workers from accessing key labor protections tied to employee status, such as minimum wage laws and collective bargaining rights.
4. Inadequate income security measures:
5. The Karnataka Bill, in Section 16, discusses income security only in terms of payment deductions but fails to guarantee a minimum income.
6. Neither bill establishes a minimum wage for gig workers or addresses the issue of fair revenue sharing between workers and platforms.
7. Limitations of the welfare board model:
8. Both bills adopt a welfare board model, which historically has shown poor implementation in other sectors.
9. For instance, the Construction Workers Welfare Act of 1996 and the Unorganized Workers Social Security Act have both struggled with fund utilization and benefit distribution.
10. Lack of regulation on working hours:
11. Neither bill addresses the issue of working hour limits for gig workers.
12. This omission leaves gig workers vulnerable to overwork, which can lead to fatigue-related safety issues, particularly for those in transportation services.
13. Ambiguity in social security provisions:
14. While both bills mention social security, they lack specifics on the extent and nature of these benefits.
15. There’s no clear provision for benefits like health insurance, accident insurance, or retirement benefits that are standard for regular employees.
16. Limited scope of worker protections:
17. The bills do not address key issues like occupational safety standards, leave entitlements, or protection against unfair termination.
18. This leaves significant gaps in the overall protection framework for gig workers.
19. Lack of clarity on dispute resolution:
20. While the bills mention grievance redressal mechanisms, they don’t provide clear, accessible processes for workers to address issues with platforms.
21. This could leave workers with limited recourse in cases of unfair treatment or contract violations.
22. Absence of data protection measures:
23. Despite the data-driven nature of platform work, neither bill adequately addresses data privacy and protection for gig workers.
24. This oversight leaves workers vulnerable to potential misuse of their personal and work-related data.

Case Study: United Kingdom’s Approach

In a landmark ruling, the UK Supreme Court declared Uber drivers as workers, not independent contractors. This decision applied existing UK labour laws to gig workers, ensuring they receive:

1. Minimum wage
2. Paid holidays
3. Rest breaks
4. Protection against unlawful discrimination

While the recent bills represent a step towards recognizing gig workers’ needs, they fall short of providing comprehensive protection. India could consider following the UK’s approach and address fundamental issues, which can create a more equitable and sustainable gig economy that balances flexibility with worker protection.

• The Chief Justice of India agreed to list petitions challenging the use of the Money Bill route by the Centre to pass contentious amendments in Parliament.
• In November 2019, a five-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice referred the Money Bill question to a seven-judge Bench in the case of Rojer Mathew vs. South Indian Bank Ltd.
• The core issue is whether such amendments could be passed as a Money Bill, bypassing the Rajya Sabha, in violation of Article 110 of the Constitution.
• A Money Bill is a financial legislation that contains provisions exclusively related to revenue, taxation, government expenditure and borrowing.
• A Money Bill is restricted to provisions dealing with financial matters under clauses (a) to (g) of Article 110(1), including the appropriation of money from the Consolidated Fund of India and taxation.
• The reference includes legal questions about amendments made from 2015 onwards in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) through Money Bills, which granted the Enforcement Directorate extensive powers of arrest and raids.
• Although the court upheld the legality of the PMLA amendments, it left the question of their passage as Money Bills to the seven-judge Bench.
• The case also questions the passage of the Finance Act of 2017 as a Money Bill, which altered appointments to 19 key judicial tribunals.

Dig Deeper: Read about the Supreme Court verdict in the Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Rtd) verdict.

• The existing structure at the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, was constructed using remains of a previously existing temple, according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• The ASI submitted its scientific survey report to the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
• The court had asked the ASI in March to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex.
• Over three months, using ground-penetrating radar and studying archaeological remains, the ASI dated the pre-existing structure to the Paramara dynasty period.

• The ASI report stated that the art and architecture of the pillars and pilasters in the colonnades suggest they were originally part of a temple.
• For reuse in the current structure, figures of deities and humans carved on them were mutilated.
• The survey found images of Hindu deities like Ganesha, Brahma with his consorts, Narasimha, Bhairava, and other human and animal figures in the existing structure.
• As human and animal figures are not permitted in mosques, many images were chiselled out or defaced.
• The report also found inscriptions in Sanskrit and Prakrit at the site.
• An inscription on the gateway to the tomb of Abdullah Shah Changal at Dhar indicated that the temple “was violently converted” into a mosque.

Dig Deeper: Read about the construction of the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque of Qutb Minar complex of Delhi along with important provisions of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

• The EEG (electroencephalography) is a remarkable tool in physics and neurobiology that offers a non-invasive window into the human brain, celebrating its centenary since the first human EEG was produced.
• This innovation, attributed to German physiologist Hans Berger in 1924, was preceded by significant advances in Europe.
• EEG works by measuring electrical activity in the brain generated by neurons.
• Health workers place electrodes on the scalp, which detect voltage changes caused by ion movement in neurons.

• These electrodes send data to a computer, creating an electroencephalogram.
• The raw data collected must be corrected for volume conduction and noise before interpretation.
• Volume conduction refers to the movement of electrical activity through the brain’s three-dimensional volume before reaching the electrodes.
• The International 10-20 System ensures standard placement of electrodes.
• EEG is widely used in reference standards for diagnosing epilepsy.
• It also monitors the effects of anaesthesia, sleep patterns, neurological activity during a coma, and oxygen availability.
• Additionally, EEG can confirm brain death, one of the two legally recognized forms of death in India.
• EEG has several advantages, including tracking rapid brain activity in milliseconds and being a cost-effective, simple, and non-invasive diagnostic tool.
• It does not emit high-energy radiation or confine patients to small spaces like MRI. However, it is biased toward signals near the brain’s surface and may be less effective for deeper signals.
• Researchers often use EEG in conjunction with other tests, like MRI, and employ advanced data processing methods to overcome these limitations.

Dig Deeper: Read about Neurons and their functions.

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will launch its “One Scientist, One Product” program to enhance agricultural and animal husbandry research.
• ICAR will announce the release of 323 varieties of 56 crops, including cereals, oilseeds, forage crops, and sugarcane. It includes climate-resilient and bio-fortified varieties.
• All 5,521 ICAR scientists develop a product, technology, model, concept, or publication.
• Scientists or groups of scientists will identify their product at the beginning of each year, with progress monitored quarterly at the institute level and semi-annually at the headquarters level.
• The program will run for five years, prioritizing seed hubs for high-yielding oilseeds and pulses varieties this year.
• ICAR Director-General explained that ICAR is also working on developing 100 new seed varieties and 100 farm technologies within 100 days as part of the Centre’s action plan.

Dig Deeper: Read about the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.