Hyderabad, June 18 -- By Shraddha Pratapa and Manisha Dhulipala

Every morning at 7-00 am, Rehana logs into the Urban Company app, hopeful the algorithm will finally send her a job. Most days, she waits. Hours pass with no notifications. When a job finally arrives, it's often miles from home, barely covers her commute, and ends with a poor rating-this time the client didn't like her accent. Rehana is told she's an entrepreneur, a flexible "partner" in charge of her schedule. But what kind of empowerment demands that she wait in silence, unpaid, and invisible?

Rehana is not alone. According to a report by NITI Aayog, India's gig economy, fuelled by platforms like Urban Company and Zomato, is expected to employ 23.5 million by 2030. The ri...