Following discussions led by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, major quick-commerce platforms in India have agreed to remove standard “10-minute delivery” promises to customers, marking a shift in response to rising concerns over gig worker safety and welfare. The move comes after a series of strikes by delivery workers on Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2025, protesting unsafe delivery demands, lack of adequate health and safety measures, and insufficient income protections in case of accidents.

Blinkit, one of India’s largest quick-commerce companies, revised its tagline from “10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep”, while competitors Swiggy Instamart and Zepto are expected to follow suit. Zepto has also increased its standard delivery time to 16 minutes or more. Officials emphasized, however, that there is no formal ban on 10-minute deliveries, which will continue where operationally feasible, such as in areas with dark stores located close to consumers’ homes.

Quick-commerce has expanded rapidly, with revenues for Eternal, Blinkit’s parent company, rising to ₹7,100 crore in the last year from ₹4,200 crore. Platforms rely on dark stores, which are small neighbourhood warehouses designed to fulfil rapid online orders, with plans to expand by 30% to cater to smaller towns and revenue villages. The pandemic lockdowns had accelerated consumer demand for instant delivery, reshaping India’s retail ecosystem.

Despite the move to drop 10-minute branding, gig workers said the change does little to improve conditions on the ground. Delivery incentives and ratings remain tied to order volume and delivery speed, which continues to exert pressure on riders. Ajay Singh, a Zepto delivery agent in Delhi, said: “No formal communication about the 10-minute branding being removed has been communicated to us yet, but even if it is, that changes very little on the ground.”Shivam Shankar Sharma, another worker, added that without secure payment structures and protections, workers’ struggles remain unresolved.

The intervention by the labour ministry was aimed at addressing concerns raised by gig worker unions and ensuring platforms avoid advertising tight delivery timelines that may endanger workers. Platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy, and Zomato have been part of the discussions, which focused on safety, security, and better working conditions for delivery personnel.

India’s new labour laws for the gig economy, implemented in November 2025, require platforms to contribute a portion of workers’ wages—up to 5%, with 1–2% variation—to a National Social Security Fund. Workers need to be employed for 90 days with a single aggregator, or 120 days across multiple aggregators, to qualify for social security benefits. However, unions have raised concerns that these thresholds do not reflect actual work patterns, potentially leaving many workers ineligible for social protections.

The protests and strikes have brought attention to the economic pressures and opaque algorithmic systems used by platforms to manage delivery operations. Workers argue that incentives, ratings, and performance metrics are often unfairly structured, leading to excessive pressure and unsafe working conditions.

While the branding change reduces consumer expectations for ultra-rapid deliveries, gig workers stress that it does not fundamentally alter the operational pressures or improve their pay and safety standards. Activists and unions continue to call for comprehensive reforms, including secure payment mechanisms, better health and accident coverage, and alignment of social security benefits with actual work patterns.

Experts note that the quick-commerce sector is here to stay, driven by high consumer demand, but regulating delivery promises and protecting gig workers’ welfare is essential for sustainable growth. The labour ministry’s intervention represents an initial step toward balancing business efficiency, consumer convenience, and worker safety, even as further policy adjustments and enforcement will be needed.

In summary, platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart are dropping the 10-minute delivery promise in consultation with the labour ministry, but gig workers insist that real change will only come when working conditions, incentives, and social security benefits are adequately addressed.