Tech Startups Complain About Gig Workers’ Bill, Rural Roads Scheme To Be Expanded With Job Focus

Swiggy, Ola, Zomato, Uber, Amazon Raise Concerns Over Karnataka Gig Workers’ Bill

A group comprising many top tech startups and unicorns have raised several “serious concerns” over a platform-based gig workers Bill proposed by the Karnataka government, Business Standard reported.

They told the state government that the Bill in its current form would hurt the ease of doing business, hamper operations and increase the regulatory and compliance burden on the nascent gig and startup economy. Some of the companies that are part of the group include Swiggy, Ola, Zomato, Uber, Urban Company and Amazon. The draft of the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024, provides a grievance redress mechanism for gig workers such as cab drivers, delivery people, carpenters, plumbers and repairers.  Read more

Next Phase Of Rural Road Scheme To Be Expanded With Eye on Employment

The government proposes to revamp its rural road scheme by expanding its coverage to the remotest parts of rural India in a bid to spur economic activity, raise incomes and alleviate poverty, Livemint reported quoting two persons in the know.

The Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) will bring in unconnected villages and habitations with a population of 300-400 people in the plains and 100 people in hill, desert areas and some tribal and backwards regions. The present norm under PMGSY, in its third phase currently, is to serve villages with a population of 500 and above in the plains and 250 and above in respect of hill states, desert areas, tribal areas and selected tribal and backward districts. More here 

Uber Has A GST Question For Finance Ministry After Namma Yatri Escapes Levy

App-based mobility providers such as Uber have approached the finance ministry, Goods and Services Tax Council and the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) seeking clarity on whether their business was liable to tax or not, the Economic Times reported. 

The move follows a decision from the Karnataka AAR that held that Bengaluru-based direct-to-driver app Namma Yatri was not liable to pay GST. The AAR, in the case of Juspay Technologies that runs the Namma Yatri mobility platform, relied upon the dictionary meaning of the word "through" and held that the mere act of linking service providers with customers through a digital platform did not constitute a supply of service and thus not liable to tax. More here

Hydrogen Roadmap In The Works, Key Meet To Discuss Dispensing, Standardisation 

India is preparing to launch a roadmap aimed at establishing a hydrogen-dispensing infrastructure across the country to promote the gas as a clean mobility fuel, Livemint reported.

Currently, with only a couple of operational hydrogen filling stations, the push is on to engage private participants in building additional dispensing facilities locally, senior government officials said. A specialised steering committee, with officials from the ministry of road transport and highways, the ministry of new and renewable energy, and including the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government, is due to convene in August or September. Its objective is to develop recommendations and an action plan to create hydrogen corridors, promote domestic storage of hydrogen and dispensing infrastructure, and standardise hydrogen storage pressure in India. More here

Govt Looks To Exporter Feedback Before Drafting Policy Against Non-Tariff Barriers

The government is working towards a strategy to tackle non-tariff barriers faced by exporters by setting up a committee and launching a portal, Business Standard reported quoting a senior official.

Typically, non-tariff barriers take several years to resolve. The development comes at a time when India is negotiating free-trade agreements (FTAs) with several developed economies, where non-tariff measures related to environment and sustainability have become a cause for concern for Indian exporters. Non-tariff barriers, such as documentation procedures, certification, inspections of goods, standards, import restrictions, prohibitions, seasonal duties, tariff rate quotas, and public procurement practices, are seen discriminatory against imports. More here 

Industries Want Special Expat Visa Regime On Par With PLI Scheme Sectors

Local metal and power producers have asked the government for a visa regime for expats, including those from China, on par with that for companies in the 14 sectors under production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, the Economic Times reported.

They cited project execution difficulties due to delays in processing visas for foreign experts. This has emerged as a bottleneck amid signs of a pickup in private capital formation. The manufacturers have flagged these issues to their administrative ministries. The idea is to have a streamlined visa process to address foreign manpower issues, as with PLI beneficiaries. They suggested the creation of a special cell and a mechanism to ensure the timely issuance of visas for foreign experts as well as officials or engineers from overseas original equipment suppliers. More here