Gig Workers Row: Following the strictness of the government and increasing concerns about the safety of delivery partners, quick commerce companies have started removing their branding related to ‘delivery in 10 minutes’. After Blinkit, now Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and Flipkart Minutes have also removed the promise of delivery of goods within a few minutes from their platforms.

The move follows concerns from the government and labor rights groups over the risks to suppliers’ safety, health and working conditions from rushing deliveries. Union Labor Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, in a meeting held with stakeholders last week, had appealed to quick commerce companies to give priority to the safety of delivery partners.

Government strict on 10 minute delivery

Mandaviya had suggested that strict deadlines for delivery of goods in very short time, especially commitments like ‘delivery in 10 minutes’ should be removed. Following this instruction from the government, Blinkit removed the promise of delivery within 10 minutes from its platform on Tuesday. The very next day, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and Flipkart Minutes also changed their branding.

However, grocery delivery in 10 minutes is still mentioned on Tata Group-owned BigBasket’s app. Quick commerce business in the country has grown rapidly in the last few years, but along with it, questions have also been raised regarding increasing pressure on delivery partners, working conditions and road safety. On New Year’s Eve, gig workers (temporary workers) held a nationwide strike in protest against ’10 minute delivery’, in which issues related to health, safety and income of employees were prominently raised.

Gig workers welcomed

The Gig Workers Association has welcomed the decision by instant delivery platforms to remove the promise of ‘delivery in 10 minutes’. The association says that this step is an important initiative towards acknowledging the dangerous and unbearable pressure placed on delivery workers. The organization also alleged that in many cases workers were not being paid commensurate with the extra effort.

At present, a total of seven instant delivery platforms are active in the country including Blinkit (Eternal), Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Jiomart, BigBasket, Amazon Now and Flipkart Minutes.

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Delivery within 10 minutes i.e. quick delivery model has become increasingly popular in India, but now clouds of crisis seem to be looming over this model. On New Year’s Eve, gig workers announced a nationwide strike, in which more than two lakh riders from across the country participated. Gig workers are demanding fair pay, safety and respect, while union leaders say the root of the problem is the 10-minute delivery time limit, without removing which the situation will not improve.

Why is the quick delivery model in trouble?

Actually, during the Corona epidemic in India, the demand for fast delivery of essential goods increased and from here this model became popular. At that time delivery within half an hour was also considered a big deal. However, as the situation returned to normal, quick delivery platforms like Freeze No More, Byk and Getir in the US either closed down or got into serious financial trouble. On the contrary, this model spread more rapidly in India and it was claimed to deliver everything from medicines to daily needs in 10 minutes.

According to a Bloomberg report, companies like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto invested heavily in dark stores or dark warehouses. These small warehouses are built within cities so that orders can be fulfilled in a very short time. Initially, big players like Mukesh Ambani, Amazon, Walmart and Flipkart lagged behind in this race, but now they too are investing huge capital in quick commerce.

Real estate firm Savills Plc estimates that by 2030, the number of dark stores in the country may increase from 2,500 to 7,500 and this model will spread to smaller cities.

Debate sparked by strike

The recent strike has sparked a new debate on the reality of the quick delivery model. The apps may claim they don’t compromise drivers’ safety, but gig workers say poor ratings, pressure from supervisors and financial penalties for delayed deliveries force them into rash and risky driving. Working in cities suffering from narrow roads, poor traffic system and pollution is already dangerous. Bad air in the national capital Delhi also remains a big challenge for the riders.

Even before the strike, investors were worried about the social security provided to gig workers under the new labor code. Since October, the shares of Swiggy and Eternal (parent company of Zomato and Blinkit) have fallen by about 20 percent.

What is the companies’ stand?

Quick commerce companies claim that the strike did not have any significant impact on their operations. Eternal CEO Deependra Goyal posted on social media platform X that orders delivered on December 31 were at an all-time high of 7.5 million. He blamed some “mischievous elements” for the strike.

Goyal argues that 10-minute delivery is possible not by riding a fast bike, but because of the infrastructure present in every area. According to him, the average speed of the riders is around 16 kilometers per hour. The company pays the drivers’ insurance and they can earn an average of Rs 102 per hour while logged in.

However, these data also highlight the limitations of the model. If we look at the average earning, then even to earn around Rs 21 thousand a month, the riders have to work continuously for a long time, which is not possible for everyone.

What will happen next?

There is a glut of workers in India’s labor market. Every year lakhs of riders leave this job, and equally fast new people join it. In such a situation, consumers will continue to get fast delivery, but the question will remain whether the gig workers are happy, safe and whether they are getting remuneration commensurate with the risk. This is the fundamental question on which the future of the quick delivery model depends.

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Every year people do a lot of shopping on the occasion of Diwali. Due to GST reform, it was already expected that there would be a huge increase in orders this year. In such a situation, the Diwali festive season was great for India’s e-commerce sector. In volume terms, sales grew by 24 per cent year-on-year, while gross merchandise value (GMV) grew by 23 per cent. This information was given by the e-commerce platform Unicommerce.

The magic of quick commerce

According to the company, the biggest contributor to this growth was from Quick Commerce apps, whose order volume registered an increase of 120 percent on an annual basis. After this, brand websites achieved a growth of 33 percent. At the same time, marketplace platforms remained the dominant channel, accounting for 38 percent of total purchases and growing by eight percent in terms of order volume.

24 percent jump in e-commerce also

Unicommerce said that these figures are based on more than 15 crore transactions done through its flagship platform Uniware during the 25-day long festive season in 2024 and 2025. The company said, “The Diwali festive season of 2025 was extremely successful for India’s e-commerce sector, where order volume grew by 24 percent and gross merchandise value grew by 23 percent.”

The top performing categories included fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), home decor & furniture, beauty & care products, and health & pharma. According to Unicommerce, the contribution of second and third tier cities in the total orders was about 55 percent.

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Nowadays, quick commerce companies have created a stir in the world of parcel delivery. Some companies deliver goods to your home in 10 to 15 minutes, while some send parcels from one city to another in one to two days. Talking about international parcel, it usually takes 5 to 10 days. But now an American company has taken a step in the world of logistics, which is completely new and revolutionary. Through this, your parcel will reach any corner of the world in just one hour.

How will the parcel reach in an hour?

The name of this company is Inversion. This company working in the aerospace and defense sector has prepared the world’s first space delivery vehicle. Its name is Arc Vehicle. It is a Re-Entry Vehicle, meaning it can go into space and then return back to the atmosphere. It can carry up to 227 kg of goods at a time.

How will this technology work?

In this technique the goods are loaded on the Arc Vehicle. After this, it goes into space 1000 kilometers above the earth and flies from there and reaches the delivery point. After this it again enters the atmosphere and lands safely with the help of a parachute. Arc Vehicle can fly at a speed of 25,000 kilometers per hour.

Very helpful in emergency

Space delivery vehicles can be used in many ways. Reports suggest that this technology can prove to be very helpful during war. Arc Vehicle can also stop in space and according to the company, it can remain active in space for 5 years, which makes it easy to use in war and emergency situations.

easy work at low cost

The company claims that it is an autonomous spacecraft and can be reused. Due to which expenses are reduced. However, no information has been made public yet about the price of this service and when it will be started.

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