Govt Cracks Down on ‘10-Minute Delivery’ Claims as Gig Workers Flag Safety Risks

India's booming quick commerce sector faces a significant turning point as the Union government has instructed major delivery platforms to abandon their controversial "10-minute delivery" marketing claims. Following a meeting with Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya this week, companies including Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato, and Swiggy have reportedly agreed to remove time-bound delivery promises from their branding and promotional materials. Blinkit has, in turn, revised its tagline from "10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes" to "30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep.

The intervention comes amidst mounting pressure from gig workers who have long argued that unrealistic delivery timeframes force them into dangerous working conditions. The debate reached a fever pitch when delivery riders across Delhi went on strike on New Year's Eve, demanding safer working conditions and fairer compensation. However, whilst platforms have agreed to drop the "10-minute" tagline, the actual practice of ultra-fast deliveries has not been explicitly banned, raising questions about whether this represents genuine reform or merely cosmetic change.

Shaik Salauddin, founder president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers' Union, described the move as progress but emphasised ongoing concerns. "This intervention is a victory for all gig and platform workers, especially in the context of the nationwide flash strike and protests held from December 25-31, which highlighted unsafe work practices imposed by platforms," he stated in their statement. The unions continue to press for substantive engagement with platforms on policies affecting workers' safety and livelihoods.

The Human Cost of Speed

For delivery riders navigating India's chaotic traffic on two-wheelers, the pressure to meet impossible deadlines has become a matter of life and death. Many workers have directly linked the ultra-fast delivery model to a spike in road accidents and debilitating workplace stress. The promise of groceries or meals arriving within 10 minutes requires riders to weave through congested streets, often in hazardous weather conditions, with little margin for error or basic safety precautions.

Rajesh Kumar, a delivery rider based in Delhi who delivers in the Kalkaji area, explained the daily reality. "Every delivery feels like a race against time. When the app shows 8 minutes or that the order is coming from 1km or 2km distance, customers expect it in 10 minutes. If we're late, we get low ratings, and that, in turn, sometimes results in losing our cuts and worse bonuses. We have no choice but to break traffic rules, risk it all, risk our lives, and then arrive at the location on time, since the company has fed that into the customer’s head," he said.

When asked about the recent update, he said, “No communication has come to us for this. Nothing has been told yet. With the (dark) store being just a kilometre away from everywhere, the realities are still the same. People will still expect faster deliveries with such a short distance.”

The compensation structure compounds these pressures. Whilst Zomato's CEO Deepinder Goyal claimed in a post, after the strike on December 31, average hourly earnings of Rs. 102 in 2025, this figure falls dramatically short of Delhi's official minimum wages. Workers would need to put in triple the standard hours to approach minimum wage levels, creating a vicious cycle of overwork and underpayment.

A Reform or Merely Rebranding?

Critically, the government's directive appears to address promotional language rather than the underlying business model. Within hours of news reports about the intervention, delivery apps continued to offer time-specific delivery options. Zomato's "Near & Fast" feature still promised deliveries within 10-15 minutes, whilst Blinkit advertised 13-minute delivery windows on their time tickers. This disconnect between public commitments and operational reality suggests the change may be more optical than substantive.

Sudhir Sutar, Professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, argues that genuine reform requires structural change, not just marketing adjustments. "What we're seeing is a classic case of corporate appeasement without addressing the fundamental issues. They are just changing how they advertise. Nothing else changes. The gig economy model itself is predicated on externalising costs, particularly labour costs, to workers," he explained. "Unless we see enforceable regulations on working hours, safety standards, and minimum earnings guarantees, removing a tagline from an app changes very little for the workers risking their lives daily."

Several states, including Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Jharkhand, have enacted welfare laws for gig workers, whilst others are considering frameworks for social security and grievance redressal. The Union government's recent social security code includes provisions for a fund supporting life insurance, disability cover, and health benefits for gig workers. However, implementation remains patchy, and workers continue to operate largely outside the protective framework of traditional labour laws.

As India's quick commerce sector continues its explosive growth, the tension between business efficiency and worker welfare remains unresolved. Whether the removal of "10-minute delivery" branding represents the beginning of meaningful reform or simply a tactical retreat in response to public pressure will become clear in the coming months.