Gig economy needs less regulation: Deepinder Goyal as he defends 10-min deliveries

Eternal Founder Deepinder Goyal has batted for "less regulation" for India's gig economy, arguing that it will eventually help bring more people into the "organised" workforce.

The remarks come at a time when gig workers' unions have been staging protests, demanding better payouts and improved working conditions.

Goyal said the model does not pressure riders, and flexible schedules and welfare benefits make gig work a reliable source of income for many. He defended 10-minute deliveries, explaining that they are enabled by the density of stores around a user's home and not by "asking delivery partners to drive fast".

Eternal owns food delivery major Zomato and quick commerce firm Blinkit.

The Gig & Platform Services Workers' Union last month wrote to Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya raising several issues. A key demand was to "urgently discontinue 10-20-minute service delivery mandates to prioritise worker safety".

In November, the government notified all four labour codes, ushering in major reforms, including universal social security coverage for gig workers.

The Eternal Founder took to X to share multiple posts on the debate surrounding the country's gig workforce, a day after their unions went on strike on New Year's Eve, with the agitation having a negligible impact on operations of food delivery and quick commerce firms.

"I repeat -- gig work is one of the largest organised job creation engines in India. And we provide insurance, fair, timely and predictable wages.

"Gig doesn't need more regulation, it needs less regulation. It will bring more people into the fold, who will be able to earn some money, upskill themselves and later join India's organised workforce. Not to mention, consistently send their kids to school, which will fundamentally change the fabric of our nation one generation later," Goyal stated.

In a separate post, the Eternal Founder explained how companies fulfil the 10-minute delivery promise.

"Our 10-minute delivery promise is enabled by the density of stores around your homes. It's not enabled by asking delivery partners to drive fast. Delivery partners don't even have a timer on their app to indicate what was the original time promised to the customer.

"After you place your order on Blinkit, it is picked and packed within 2.5 minutes. And then the rider drives an average of under 2 km in about 8 minutes. That's an average of 15kmph," Goyal said.

According to estimates, there are over 12.7 million gig workers in India, with government think tank NITI Aayog saying the gig workforce is expected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

Goyal acknowledged that road safety remains a broader challenge but said it requires shared responsibility across multiple stakeholders. Addressing concerns around overwork, he said gig work on Zomato and Blinkit is flexible and voluntary, and not a substitute for full-time employment.

“In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days in the year and 7 hours per working day. Only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250 days in the year,” he wrote.

He argued that demands for full-time benefits such as provident fund or guaranteed salaries do not align with the gig model. “Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point,” Goyal said.

Delivery partners, he added, choose their working hours, locations, and duration, with no fixed shifts or mandatory participation beyond the duration of a chosen gig.

On earnings, Goyal said the average earnings per hour for a Zomato delivery partner rose from Rs 92 in 2024 to Rs 102 in 2025, a 10.9% year-on-year increase.

He said a partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days a month would earn around Rs 26,500 gross, translating to Rs 21,000 net after fuel and maintenance costs.

In 2025, Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance coverage for delivery partners. “These premiums are borne entirely by us, and the benefits are administered with record speed without any fuss,” Goyal wrote.

India’s gig and platform economy has grown rapidly over the past decade, emerging as a significant source of flexible employment for millions of workers across food delivery, ride-hailing, logistics and home services. Platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, Uber and Rapido have helped formalise access to work through digital systems for onboarding, payments and service delivery, even as most gig workers continue to operate outside traditional employer–employee relationships.

The government has been attempting to strike a balance between worker welfare and platform flexibility. The notification of the new labour codes, including provisions for social security for gig and platform workers, reflects growing recognition of the sector’s scale and economic role. At the same time, there remains debate over issues such as minimum earnings, safety standards, algorithmic transparency and the extent of regulatory oversight.

(With inputs from PTI)

The story was updated.