India reportedly tells quick-commerce firms to drop 10-minute delivery promise

India's labor ministry is urging the country's rapidly growing quick-commerce industry to prioritize the well-being and safety of its gig workers. During a recent meeting, Labor and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya engaged with executives from notable companies like Zomato's BlinkIt, Swiggy's Instamart, and Zepto. The discussions centered around the need to abandon marketing claims that promise deliveries in just 10 minutes, while also exploring avenues to enhance the safety and working conditions for delivery personnel. The instant delivery model, despite facing challenges in other regions, has seen remarkable success in India over recent years. Urban consumers have become accustomed to receiving everything from groceries to gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 within a mere 10 to 15 minutes. To support this rapid growth, firms such as Zepto, BlinkIt, and Instamart have invested heavily, setting up numerous 'dark stores'—strategically located warehouses that function as distribution hubs. This has led to a significant increase in the number of delivery workers as competition intensifies in the burgeoning e-commerce landscape. In the wake of the meeting, BlinkIt has already removed its 10-minute delivery promise from its marketing materials, with expectations that its competitors will follow suit. This initiative arrives shortly after India officially recognized gig and platform workers under new labor laws, which mandate that aggregators like food delivery and ride-hailing services contribute a percentage of their revenue to a government-managed social security fund for these workers. Requests for comments from Swiggy, BlinkIt, and Zepto have not yet received responses.