After notification, the welfare fee will be collected from aggregator platforms. The amount will be transferred to the Karnataka Gig Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Fund. Officials said the process will begin after the gig workers’ welfare board is formally constituted. Karnataka is among the first states to implement a funding model under gig worker welfare law.

The Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers Act allows the government to impose a fee between one and five percent. Different rates and transaction caps are also permitted under the Act. However, the state chose a uniform rate after consultations with industry stakeholders.

The framework does not clarify who will bear the financial burden. Platforms may absorb the cost or pass it on to consumers. Industry executives earlier warned that fresh levies could affect profitability. The welfare fund will also receive worker contributions and government grants. The fund will support health cover, accident insurance, and social security benefits.

The post Karnataka to Launch Gig Welfare Fee Framework appeared first on India Podcast.

Now, officials prepared a kit with 13 useful items. The plan aims to help nearly 3.5 lakh mothers every year across the state. The kit includes a bag, a mosquito-net bed, a foldable bed, two soaps, baby oil, two towels, two dresses, a waterproof sheet, a soap case, powder, a toy, and six napkins. Moreover, the government wants to deliver the kit with better quality checks.

Doctors in government hospitals will give the kit when the mother gets discharged. The scheme first started in 2016 under the Telugu Desam Party government. Later, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy continued it for a short time. However, the scheme eventually stopped.

Now, the coalition government brought it back with new items and a stronger supply plan. As a result, the project is expected to support mothers and improve newborn care across Andhra Pradesh.

The post AP Baby Kit Plan Returns Soon appeared first on India Podcast.

In August, the RBI kept the policy rate at 5.50 per cent after previous easing. Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh, SBI’s Chief Economic Advisor, said CPI inflation could drop another 65-75 basis points due to GST cuts. Without GST changes, CPI is already below 2 per cent in September and October.

Ghosh added that the 2019 GST rationalisation reduced inflation by 35 basis points in just months. With the new CPI series and base revisions, inflation should stay near the lower end of the RBI target, 4±2 per cent, through FY26 and FY27. October CPI could even reach 1.1 per cent.

SBI believes a September rate cut is justified. Ghosh said the RBI must communicate clearly to avoid mistakes. Lower inflation and stable growth give the central bank room to cut rates and support the economy.

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