India, April 14 -- For gig workers like Datta Bansi Gupta, 32, the state government's SOPs have come as a relief. A delivery worker since 2018, Gupta works 12-13 hours a day to make Rs.2,000. But meeting this target under the intense summer afternoon sun is both arduous and hazardous.

Gupta admitted he felt giddy at times. "But restaurants often do not let us wait indoors nor do they offer water. If we ask, they tell us to buy bottled water. How can we buy water for Rs.10 or Rs.20 when we make only Rs.20 per delivery," he said.

This year has been particularly bad, he said, with heatwaves sweeping across the city for several days in March. "We do not have any mediclaim or insurance, so our health issues have to be resolved by spending fr...