INSIDES OF GIG ECONOMY: EVERYONE AT STAKE

In the present era, dependence on online system or market for all needs and facilities is increasing. It goes without saying that future of lifestyle is going to be affected, impacted and controlled by the influence of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. The state of this dependence is such that from small to big things, from daily household needs to search of housing, travel, ride etc to all kinds of products and utilities are desired sitting at home without making any effort. Their quality, utility, relevance or reliability is also assessed on the basis of available online data and that also becomes the basis of selection. How far the rating level has the reality as data gets manipulated by several consultancy and promotion firms. While on one hand this system has made man extremely lazy, it has also reduced the scope of his imagination, visualisation, thinking and evaluation. While the online system has provided ease, its misuse has also increased to a great extent, whose farreaching ill effects are bound to fall on the economy as well as on the environment and social system.

This prevalent system is not going to stop but there is a great need to implement immediate control system on it. If it continues in its current form in an uncontrolled manner, then after a time, nothing will be left except regret. The gig worker, the basic link of online business, is completely unsafe and the situation of constant pressure on him is increasing. In the entire country, only Rajasthan and Karnataka have formulated and implemented a policy for the welfare and registration of gig workers. This policy is also mostly confined to papers due to weak implementation. According to the report of Niti Aayog, by 2030, the number of gig workers will reach about 2.5 crores. These are the people who make the facility or product available in the stipulated time while exposed to all kind of dangers, which are life threatening too. Currently, there is a competition among various platforms to make the goods available in the shortest time possible, without considering how strong the probability of any mishap will be there on execution of services . Unfortunately, neither the government nor social organizations are raising voice in this regard. The question is that do the lives of gig workers have no importance in front of their expectations or needs? They are also human beings and their lives have equal value. There is no data available on how many gig workers have received social security cover like Provident Fund, Employee or Group Insurance and how many workers have become victims of accident or death while performing their work. This is a serious issue which needs immediate attention at social and policy level.

The second important link of the online business system is the consumer. He is in complete darkness placing order after order just for the sake of easy and convenient service. He has no right to decide whether the weight, size or number of the product received is in accordance with the displayed product nor to estimate its price. He gets trapped in the illusion of various offers and keeps worrying about the fact that how much discount he has got on the product, although that discount is also more than the rate available at the counter of business establishment. Earlier, consumer activists had raised their voice regarding the differential pricing of the same product, but in the current context, everyone is keeping silence and just overlooked or ignored it. Consumer has no idea how much he is being cheated in the lure of simplicity. This does not apply only to the uneducated class, but even the well-educated are unaware of the discrepancies in the price, weight, size etc. of the material purchased through online platforms.

At the consumer level, there is another very serious fact which relates to the uncontrolled online business of medicine delivery. Through these platforms, many such medicines are being delivered to the customer, for which the doctor’s prescription is mandatory. Even medicines classified as over the counter are supplied in large quantities without any proper verification or justification. Fact remains The that the medicines are sent after merely taking some basic information through the phone. The limit of a particular quantity at a time is also openly disregarded. Some of these medicines are being used for the purpose of addiction and some to deal with depression, the consequences of which can be fatal. Some such incidents have also happened in which a life has ended by consumption of excessive quantities of some scheduled or restricted medicines procured online. This is a very serious challenge to be attended immediately.

At the level of the trader also, due to the absence of any specific rules and regulations, there are many problems, most of which are related to the return of the purchased item and its amount. The returned item is usually not reused by the trader and as a result he has to dispose it for a very small amount. Nowadays, many such trading platforms have also been established where the returned items come back to the market through auction. This problem is very widespread for those who deliver food items, which directly affects the sale amount of the item. According to a rough estimate, about 10-15 percent of the finished and 20-25 percent of the grocery items traded through online platforms goes on the verge of being wasted. This directly harms the environment. While the trader gets the benefit of a very large market, due to the online system, but it also limit the option of purchasing other items over the counter due to the customer not showing up to the establishment.

Amidst all these challenges, it is clear that the gig economy cannot be stopped, or rather say this is the reality of the future. There is a need to establish a strong and clear structure to control its growth and operations.According to the available data, a large part of the market is to be operated by online platforms, so a dedicated department should be established instantly at the central and state level, which should be responsible for creating and implementing the law related to control and best interests of the three pillars i.e. workers, consumers and traders. It is also necessary to ensure that the current legal framework is also followed in the entire process. In the absence of this, this easy and accessible system will become a mess

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Dr Vivek S Agarwal The writer is specialist on Urban Health and Environment