Government Ends 10-Minute Delivery, Prioritizes Gig Worker Protection

• The Modi government intervened, urging quick-commerce platforms to drop their "10-minute delivery" guarantees, signaling a new approach to the gig economy.
• This move is supported by RSS-inspired organizations, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), with BMS actively organizing gig workers.
• India's gig economy is projected to grow significantly, from 7.7 million workers in 2020–21 to 23.5 million by 2029–30.
• The intervention aligns with a broader plan to ensure gig worker safety and dignity, building on the implementation of four new labor codes, including the Code on Social Security, 2020.
• Concerns over rider safety, mental stress, and high attrition rates due to time pressure, along with consumer surveys indicating 10-minute delivery is not essential, justified the government's action.

Why It Matters: Government intervention to end 10-minute delivery prioritizes gig worker welfare and dignity, supported by new labor codes.