Mahapatra, Sushanta Kumar and Meher, Madan creator text Economic & Political Weekly monographic eng

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61(8), Feb 21, 2026: p.23-25 India’s low-carbon transition is driving the emergence of new forms of “green” work, including solar installation, energy-efficiency retrofits, recycling, and circular-economy services, many of which are now facilitated by digital platforms. These platforms promise efficiency, transparency, and scalable service delivery; yet, emerging research shows that they rarely transform the structural precarity faced by informal workers. Evidence from waste systems, renewable-energy labour markets and platform-work studies indicates that while platforms can improve visibility, price discovery and access to formal contracts, they often reproduce existing hierarchies, fragmented employment relations, and exclusionary onboarding requirements.-Reproduced https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/8/commentary/digital-platforms-green-services-and-new-informal.html Economic & Political Weekly 260427