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Groceries in 10 minutes no more? Blinkit, others halt quick delivery service claims
A meeting was reportedly held between govt representatives and leading firms including Blinkit, Zepto etc., to address concerns related to delivery timelines.
Quick commerce firms, such as Blinkit and Zepto, have voluntarily decided to halt 10-minute delivery claims after labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya raised the issue of increasing pressure on gig workers and stressful work conditions.
A meeting was reportedly held between government and leading platforms including Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy among others to address concerns related to delivery timelines.
Blinkit has already acted on the directive and removed the 10-minute delivery promise from its branding, sources cited by ANI news agency said, adding that other aggregators are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
The move is aimed at ensuring greater safety, security and improved working conditions for gig workers.
This major action by the firms come after days of gig workers and a section of people demanding better pay-outs and working conditions. A massive strike was also held by a section of gig workers on December 31, New Year's Eve, over the same.
The above-mentioned sources said that Blinkit has updated its brand messaging as part of the change.
The company'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 sources said.
Deepinder Goyal, co-founder and owner of Zomato which later acquired Blinkit, had dismissed the December 31 strike, and argued that Blinkit's 10-minute delivery mandate does not encourage unsafe driving, noting that riders travel an average of just two kilometers at a speed of 16 kmph.
The company, he had said, pays drivers' insurance premiums.
Raghav Chadha responds
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha welcomed the move, calling it a victory for delivery partners and citizens who had raised concerns over the safety risks linked to ultra-fast delivery timelines.
In a post on X after the announcement, Chadha wrote, “Satyamev Jayate. Together, we have won. I am deeply grateful to the Central Government for its timely, decisive and compassionate intervention in enforcing the removal of the ‘10-minute delivery’ branding from quick-commerce platforms.” He said the step was crucial because when “10 minutes” is printed on a rider’s T-shirt, jacket or bag and a countdown runs on a customer’s screen, “the pressure is real, constant, and dangerous”.
Chadha said the change would help ensure the safety of delivery riders as well as other road users. He added that he had spoken to hundreds of delivery partners over the past few months, many of whom were “overworked, underpaid and risking their life to fulfil an unrealistic promise”.
Thanking citizens who supported the campaign, Chadha said they had stood “on the side of human life, safety and dignity”, and told gig workers: “You’re not alone, we’re all with you.”
The AAP MP has been a vocal advocate for regulating quick commerce and other app-based delivery platforms. During an intervention in Parliament, Chadha had demanded social security, dignity, protection and fair pay for gig workers, arguing that the sector needed stronger safeguards as it continued to grow rapidly.
