Hyderabad, March 23 (NationPress) The Telangana Cabinet convened on Monday to sanction several significant Bills, including a pivotal Bill aimed at mitigating hate speech and another focused on the well-being of gig workers.

During the meeting led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Cabinet approved the Hate Speech and Hate Crime (Prevention) Bill alongside the Telangana Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration, Social Security, and Welfare) Bill.

These Bills are set to be presented in the ongoing budget session of the state assembly.

The state is home to nearly 4.2 lakh gig workers and platform-based employees.

The new legislation includes provisions for worker registration, the formation of a Welfare Board, and the establishment of a Welfare Fund, according to official sources.

Additionally, the Cabinet approved the Telangana Advocates Protection Bill, which aims to address and reduce attacks on lawyers while ensuring their safety.

The Cabinet also resolved to expedite the transfer of the existing 69-kilometer Metro Rail network in Hyderabad from L&T. A sub-committee has presented a report that suggests the government acquire the Phase 1 project by compensating L&T a total of ₹15,000 crore, which encompasses the outstanding debt obligations.

The management of these financial transactions has been assigned to Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), which will serve as the nodal agency for this purpose.

The Cabinet approved a report from an independent expert group commissioned to analyze the caste census conducted within the state.

Discussions were held regarding the various recommendations within this report, which was presented by former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy.

A Cabinet sub-committee has been tasked with reviewing the expert committee's findings.

Furthermore, the Cabinet has decided to form a sub-committee to finalize the implementations of the proposed Rohit Vemula Act aimed at combating caste discrimination in educational institutions.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will chair this sub-committee, which will include ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha, Sridhar Babu, Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Ponnam Prabhakar.

Another notable approval is the Parents' Support Bill, which mandates a deduction of 15 percent of the salary, or a maximum of ₹10,000, from public representatives and government and private employees who neglect their elderly parents, with the deducted funds being allocated to the parents.

Last month, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy emphasized the necessity for legislation addressing hate speech and hate crime to foster social harmony and safeguard vulnerable populations.

The Bill ratified by the Cabinet aligns closely with the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, which was enacted by the Karnataka Legislature in December.

During the 2023 elections, the Congress party pledged to introduce legislation for the support of gig workers and the Rohit Vemula Act to combat caste discrimination in educational establishments.

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

In a correspondence to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, he advocated for legislative measures to eradicate caste discrimination.

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar from the University of Hyderabad, tragically took his own life in 2016 amid allegations of caste discrimination.

His death ignited widespread protests on campuses nationwide addressing caste bias in educational institutions.

Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Hyderabad University, pledged that if elected, Congress would enact the Rohith Vemula Act.