Telangana Cabinet Approves Hate Speech Bill, Gig Worker Welfare & Rohit Vemula Act

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, cleared Hate Speech and Hate Crime (Prevention) Bill and Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security, and Welfare) Bill.

These Bills will be introduced during the ongoing budget session of the state legislature.

There are approximately 4.2 lakh gig workers and platform-based workers in the state.

Under the new bill, provisions will be made for the registration of workers, the establishment of a Welfare Board, and the creation of a Welfare Fund, said the official sources.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to Telangana Advocates Protection Bill to curb incidents of attacks against lawyers and to provide them with necessary protection.

It also decided to expedite the process of taking over the existing 69-kilomet Metro Rail network in Hyderabad from L&T. A sub-committee has already submitted a report stating that the government must take over the Phase 1 project by paying L&T a total sum of ₹15,000 crore, which includes the outstanding debt burden.

The government has entrusted Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) with the responsibility of handling these financial payments and transactions on its behalf. The Cabinet has accorded its approval to designate HMRL as the nodal agency for this purpose.

The Cabinet has approved the report submitted by the independent expert group, which was appointed by the state government to study the caste census conducted within the state.

The Cabinet deliberated upon the various aspects and recommendations contained in the report submitted by the expert group headed by former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy.

The Cabinet entrusted the responsibility of examining the report submitted by the expert committee to a Cabinet sub-committee.

The Cabinet decided to constitute a sub-committee to finalise the modalities for the proposed Rohit Vemula Act to curb caste discrimination in educational instiutions.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will head the sub-committee, which will have ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha, Sridhar Babu, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar as the members.

The Cabinet also approved the 'Parents' Support Bill,' under which 15 per cent of the salary or Rs 10,000, whichever is less, will be deducted from the wages of public representatives, as well as government and private employees, who fail to care for their elderly parents. The deducted amount will be given to the parents.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had said last month that the government would introduce a legislation to deal with hate speech and hate crime. He stressed the need for a separate legislation to ensure social harmony and protect vulnerable communities.

The Bill approved by the Cabinet on Monday is said to be on the lines of Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, passed by Karnataka Legislature in December.

The Congress party in 2023 elections had promised a legislation for the welfare of gig workers and Rohit Vemula Act to check caste discrimination in educational institutions.

Last year, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had urged the Telangana government to enact the Rohith Vemula Act.

In a letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, he called for putting an end to the caste discrimination through a legislation.

Rohith Vemula was a Dalit research scholar of the University of Hyderabad, who died by suicide over alleged caste discrimination in 2016.

Rohith's death sparked massive protests in campuses across the country over caste discrimination in educational institutions.

Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Hyderabad University, had promised that if voted to power Congress will bring the Rohith Vemula Act.

- IANS