On January 1, 2026, delivery workers across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru walked off the job. The strike was nationwide. It was also historic. For the first time, India’s gig workforce collectively demanded dignity, regulation, and accountability from the platforms that run their lives. On 21 November 2025, the Government of India brought the four Labour…
At a busy traffic signal, surrounded by speeding scooters, autos, and impatient commuters, a man in a wheelchair moves steadily ahead. He wears a Zomato jacket, carrying not just deliveries but a lesson for an entire city. Every day, we scroll through our phones and order food with a few taps. Within minutes, a delivery…
Every food delivery, every cab ride, every quick commerce order placed in India is fulfilled by a worker who has no minimum wage guarantee, no health insurance, and no pension. That is not an oversight. It is how India’s platform economy was designed to function. That is now changing. The government has set June 22,…
Ramesh, a 28-year-old delivery worker from Delhi working for a food delivery platform, spends nearly 12 hours a day on the road, yet his income remains uncertain from month to month. His story reflects the reality of millions of workers in India at a time when the Economic Survey 2025–26 estimates that the country has…
India’s latest Economic Survey has highlighted the potential of the new labour codes to transform the workforce by promoting gender parity, formal employment, and worker protection. In simple terms, the Survey argues that by simplifying labour laws and improving compliance, India can bring more women into the workforce, reduce informality, and create safer and more…
