Why govt asked Blinkit, Zepto, other quick-commerce platforms to step back from 10-min delivery race

INdia’s fastest-growing quick-commerce platforms lately began ever-changing how they securities industry “ velocity” in delivering items. Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart removed references to “10-minute livery” from their apps and advertisements after the Union labour ministry, led by Mansukh Mandaviya, raised concerns over rider safety and working conditions.The government did not issue a formal ban. Instead, it sent a clear message, raised the issues flagged by gig worker unions and asked platforms to refrain from “branding” tight deadlines, as HT earlier reported.Behind the government’s intervention lay months of growing unrest among delivery partners. By late 2025, protests over unsafe working conditions and intense delivery pressure had become frequent across major cities. A nationwide strike by gig workers on December 31 brought these concerns into sharp focus.Why govt got quick-commerce platforms to exit 10-min delivery raceWorker safety concerns:The change in branding follows days of gig workers flagging risks associated with tight delivery timelines, such as driving fast, especially in traffic and poor weather, increasing the likelihood of accidents.Rider protests and strikes:Delivery workers held strikes on Christmas and New Year’s Eve - December 31, 2025 - bringing national attention to unsafe delivery demands, lack of health cover and income insecurity.Labour ministry interventionUnion labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya held multiple meetings with quick-commerce platforms, asking them to avoid “branding” rigid delivery deadlines that indirectly pressure workers.Instant delivery services first began around the pandemic lockdown, growing rapidly and reshaping consumer behaviour and India’s retail ecosystem. “As a direct consequence of the pandemic, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of customers demanding rapid delivery of supermarket supplies,” said Gauri Rajnekar of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, who published a recent study on quick commerce along with co-author Debjit Roy.New labour lawsUnder new labour laws implemented by the Modi government in November last year, firms in India’s gig economy, known as aggregators and platforms, will have to contribute up to 5 per cent, varying between 1–2 per cent of the wages payable to workers, as a contribution towards a National Social Security Fund, the labour ministry’s draft rules to operationalise a new social security law show.Revenue growth prompts rethink of 10-minute deliveryBlinkit, one of the largest such companies, revised its tag-line from “10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep”, and its competitors Swiggy and Zepto were expected to follow suit.Quick commerce has boomed. Revenues from quick-commerce operations for Eternal, the parent company of Blinkit, surged to ₹7,100 crore from ₹4,200 crore a year earlier, according to CareEdge Ratings.Zepto, a platform owned by KiranaKart Technologies with over 250 dark stores, on Tuesday increased its standard delivery time to 16 minutes or more. A spokesperson for Zomato, a food-delivery app, said the company “would not like to comment on this at this time”. Eternal and Zepto too declined to comment on the matter.Meanwhile, gig workers said that the development has no bearing on their operations and that they have not received any formal communication regarding the same.Apps like Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit have invested massive sums into so-called dark stores, which are neighbourhood warehouses designed to fulfil quick online orders amid growing consumer demand.