Govt urges qcom firms to drop '10-minute delivery' branding: Reports

Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reportedly held a series of meetings with quick-commerce companies and urged them to discontinue the branding associated with ultra-fast deliveries

The Centre on Tuesday asked quick-commerce platforms, including Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy, to stop promoting '10-minute delivery' claims, citing concerns around the safety and rights of gig workers, multiple reports said.

 

According to a report by CNBC TV-18, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a series of meetings with quick-commerce companies and urged them to discontinue the branding associated with ultra-fast deliveries. Major delivery aggregators have agreed to drop the branding, CNBC TV-18 reported.

 

At the time of publication of this article, neither the Centre nor the companies issued a formal announcement confirming the change. 

Blinkit drops ‘10-minute delivery’ tag

According to a report by news agency PTI, Eternal-owned Blinkit has removed the “10-minute delivery” tag from its platforms.

   

The company has updated its messaging from “10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep,” the report said.

 

Citing industry sources, the report added that other platforms, including Swiggy and Zepto, may also reconsider similar branding following government intervention.

Political reaction

Reacting to the reports, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, who a day earlier posted a video of himself working as a Blinkit delivery partner for a day, welcomed the reported decision.

 

In a post on X, Chadha said, “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. This is a much-needed step because when ‘10 minutes’ is printed on a rider’s T-shirt, jacket or bag, and a timer runs on the customer’s screen, the pressure is real, constant and dangerous.”

 

He added, “This step will help ensure the safety of delivery riders and everyone who shares our roads. Over the past months, I spoke to hundreds of delivery partners. Many are overworked, underpaid and risk their lives to fulfil an unrealistic promise.”

Gig-worker debate in focus

Concerns around the safety and working conditions of gig workers remained in focus in recent weeks, particularly after delivery partners announced a strike on New Year’s Eve demanding better pay and working conditions.

 

At the same time, platform data showed record-high sales and delivery volumes during the holiday period. Following those numbers, Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal, in a series of posts, rejected claims that gig workers were being exploited in the quick-commerce system.

Labour rules on social security

Earlier this month, the Labour Ministry issued draft rules stating that gig and platform workers must work at least 90 days with an aggregator in a financial year to qualify for social security benefits. Workers associated with multiple aggregators must complete a minimum of 120 days.

 

The rules, published on December 31 for public feedback, set the eligible age bracket for benefits between 16 and 60 years.