New Delhi, March 24 Highlighting the daily hardships faced by gig workers, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Tuesday that the Delhi government will establish rest facilities attached to Atal Canteens, providing them with a place to eat, recharge, and take breaks during long working hours.
While presenting the Rs 1.03 lakh crore budget for FY2026-27 in the Assembly, Gupta said that gig workers, many of whom spend several hours on two-wheelers navigating city traffic, often struggle to find safe places to eat meals or charge their phones. The lack of such facilities has also been linked to an increase in fatigue-related road accidents, Gupta said.
“Gig workers are on the move for several hours on our two-wheelers. There are rarely any safe places where these gig workers can stop to have lunch or charge their phones. This leads to a lot of accidents," the chief minister said in the budget speech.
Announcing a targeted intervention, Gupta said that the government will develop rest rooms alongside Atal Canteens to support delivery personnel and other gig workers across the city.
Gupta also announced Rs 100 crore for ‘Establishing Atal Canteens’ in JJ clusters to provide nutritious meals.
The government also plans to institutionalize support for this growing workforce. “We will form a gig welfare board as soon as possible,” Gupta said.
Emphasizing the scale of the sector, she added, “A large number of gig workers are employed here in the city. To ensure their protection and welfare, we will constitute a Gig Workers Welfare Board as soon as possible.
Gupta said that this move is expected to benefit thousands of app-based workers who form a crucial part of Delhi’s urban economy.
The chief minister announced several welfare schemes, including free diagnostic tests for newborn babies, free bicycles for 1.3 lakh girl students, and laptops for meritorious students, as well as a new semiconductor policy, in addition to an 'emergency operation centre' for disaster management in the budget.
The Gig & Platform Service Workers Union welcomed the Delhi government's Budget measures for gig workers, including restrooms at Atal Canteens and a proposed welfare board, which are expected to benefit around 13 lakh workers.
However, the union said that the absence of a clear legislative framework leaves key questions unanswered, stating that the budget does not specify "what will be received, when, and at what cost."
It also flagged accessibility concerns, noting that existing Atal Canteens may be far from major work zones, and suggested setting up rest facilities closer to delivery hubs, warehouses, and retail points, along with involving platform companies for effective implementation.