The gig model puts no pressure on riders, flexible work is a reliable source of income for many: Deepinder Goyal

Amid the debate over gig workers’ payouts and working conditions, Eternal Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said this model does not put pressure on riders, and flexible working hours and benefits make gig work a reliable source of income for many.

Eternal owns the companies Zomato and Blinkit.

His comments come at a time when gig worker unions have staged protests and demanded better pay and working conditions.

“In 2025, Zomato and Blinkit spent over ₹100 crore on insurance coverage for delivery partners. In 2025, the average earnings per hour (EPH), excluding tips, for a delivery partner on Zomato was ₹102. In 2024, this number was ₹92. That is an increase of about 10.9 percent year-on-year. Over a longer horizon too, the EPH has remained stable growth,” Goyal said on X.

He claimed that the 10-minute delivery promise does not put pressure on passengers, explaining how flexible schedules and social benefits make gig work a reliable source of income for many.

However, his comments sparked mixed reactions from netizens on X, with several accusing passengers of rash driving and breaking traffic rules to meet the 10-minute delivery deadline.

The Gig & Platform Services Workers’ Union (GIPSWU) wrote to Labor and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya last month, raising several issues, culminating in their demand to “urgently halt 10-20 minute service mandates to prioritize worker safety.”

Goyal also advocated ‘less regulation’ for India’s gig economy, arguing that this will ultimately help bring more people into the ‘organised’ workforce.

“Delivery partners are not overworked on our platforms. In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days per year and 7 hours per workday, reflecting real participation in gigs rather than fixed schedules. Only 2.3 percent of partners worked more than 250 days per year. Requiring full-time benefits like PF, or guaranteed salaries for gigs, does not reflect what the model was built for,” he argued.

Eternal’s founder said most delivery partners work a few hours and only a few days per month.

“But if someone were to work 10 hours a day, 26 days a month, this amounts to a gross income of €26,500 per month. After deducting fuel and maintenance (~20 percent), the net income for the partner is €21,000 per month,” he stated.

In November, the government unveiled all four labor laws, ushering in major reforms including universal social security coverage for gig workers.

The Ministry of Labor has proposed an annual work threshold of 90 days as mandatory criteria for gig and platform workers to access social security, under new draft rules for the Social Security Act 2020, published on December 31.

According to estimates, there are over 12.7 million gig workers in India, while government think tank NITI Aayog says this workforce is expected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-2030.

Published on January 3, 2026