NEW DELHI, Jan 13 : Coming as a major relief to the gig workers, union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has persuaded major delivery aggregators to remove the mandatory 10-minute delivery deadline.
A meeting was held with leading platforms including Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy among others to address concerns related to delivery timelines.
As per the reports, quick commerce firms, such as Blinkit and Zepto, have voluntarily decided to halt 10-minute delivery claims after Minister Mandaviya raised the issue.
Blinkit’s principal tagline has been revised from “10,000 plus products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000 plus products delivered at your doorstep.”
The development comes after the delivery workers staged a nationwide strike on New Year’s Eve 2025. They protested the physical strain, safety risks and income instability caused by aggressive delivery timelines, and said the race to meet 10-minute targets was pushing them to take risks on the road while also limiting their ability to earn fairly.
Reacting on the protests, the Eternal Group CEO Deepinder Goyal had defended the delivery model saying it does not encourage unsafe driving.
He had said the delivery partners are not shown customer-facing delivery timers on their apps and are not under direct pressure to meet the 10-minute promise.
Welcoming Mandaviya’s move, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha called it a win for gig workers, saying “Satyamev Jayate. Together, we have won”.
“This is a much-needed step because when “10 minutes” is printed on a rider’s t-shirt/ jacket/ bag and a timer runs on the customer’s screen, the pressure is real, constant, and dangerous. This step will help ensure the safety of the delivery riders and everyone who shares our roads,” he said.
“This step will help ensure safety of the delivery riders, and everyone who shares our roads. Over the past months, I have spoken to hundreds of delivery partners. Many are overworked, underpaid and risking their life to fulfil an unrealistic promise. I thank every citizen who stood with us – you stood firmly on the side of human life, safety & dignity. And to every gig worker – you’re not alone, we’re all with you,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
Notably, during the Parliament session, Chadha had demanded regulations for quick commerce and other app-based delivery and service businesses, emphasising the need for social security benefits for gig workers.
The definition of gig workers and platform workers and provisions related to the same have been provided in the Code on Social Security, 2020, coming into force on November 21, 2025.
The Code provides for framing of suitable social security measures for gig workers and platform workers on matters relating to life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old age protection, etc.
Notably, the Ministry of Labour and Employment had also launched the e-Shram portal in 2021 for the creation of a Comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers, including platform workers, migrant workers, etc.
(UNI)
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