A recent video shared by a Blinkit delivery partner has reignited a national conversation on the working conditions of gig workers in India. The clip, which has gone viral on social media, shows the delivery partner explaining how he earned just ₹763 after completing 28 deliveries over nearly 15 hours of work. The video has drawn widespread attention, particularly over issues such as low pay, long working hours and the lack of social security.
The video was posted on Instagram through the delivery partner’s account, Thapliyal Ji Vlogs. In the clip, he candidly narrates his daily struggles, highlighting the growing gap between effort and earnings in app based delivery work.
Raghav Chadha takes note
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha took note of the delivery partner’s experience soon after the video began circulating online. Chadha had earlier raised similar concerns during the Winter Session of Parliament, where he drew attention to low wages, excessive working hours and the absence of social security for millions engaged in app based and platform driven work.
Following the parliamentary session, Chadha invited the delivery partner to his residence for lunch. During the meeting, the delivery partner shared his lived experiences in detail.
Take a look here at the clips:
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{{/usCountry}}Invisible labour behind quick commerce
Speaking in Parliament earlier, Chadha had argued for stronger regulation of quick commerce and app based service platforms, with a specific focus on worker welfare. “Every day, we press a button on our mobile phone app and a notification arrives: ‘Your order is on its way’… But behind this notification, there is often a person whom we do not acknowledge,” he said.
He cited delivery partners and drivers working for platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, Ola, Uber, Blinkit and Zepto, as well as service providers associated with Urban Company.
“In official language, they are called gig workers. But I call them the invisible wheels of the Indian economy,” Chadha said, speaking in a mix of Hindi and English.