The debate over India's gig economy has intensified as former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant strongly defended the sector against exploitation allegations, following nationwide strikes by gig workers. The controversy has now escalated with Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha launching a sharp attack on Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal for characterizing striking workers as "miscreants."

Chadha's Sharp Criticism of Platform Response

Raghav Chadha condemned Zomato's response to the worker strikes, particularly targeting Goyal's characterization of delivery workers as "0.10% miscreants" behind strike-related disruptions. In a strongly-worded social media post, Chadha stated that "workers asking for fair pay are not criminals" and criticized platforms for turning "a labour demand into a law & order narrative."

Chadha argued that if platforms need police intervention to keep workers operational during peak periods, it represents "an admission the system doesn't work" rather than proof of success.

Kant's Defense of Gig Economy Model

Amitabh Kant characterized criticism of the gig economy as "political, not factual," arguing that objections come from people "who have not created a single job." He emphasized the sector's massive job creation potential, noting significant projected growth.

Kant warned that politicizing the gig economy could "hurt quick commerce, destroy jobs and push workers back into the informal sector with no rights and no safety." He specifically criticized AAP and Raghav Chadha, calling them "job killers" rather than job creators.

Platform Performance During Strikes

Despite the strikes, Zomato reported record performance during peak periods. Over 4.50 lakh delivery partners across Zomato and Blinkit achieved orders worth ₹75.00 lakh, demonstrating continued platform operations during the protest period. Platforms including Swiggy, Zomato and Magicpin reportedly saw significant order surges with negligible impact from the strikes.

Goyal emphasized that workers receive comprehensive benefits including insurance schemes, period rest days for women, income tax return filing support, pension scheme access, and emergency SOS services.

Escalating Political Tensions

The exchange between Chadha and industry leaders highlights deepening political divisions over gig economy practices. Chadha's latest comments represent a significant escalation in rhetoric, moving from policy criticism to direct confrontation with platform leadership.

Industry-Wide Implications

The debate reflects deeper tensions within India's expanding gig economy as it balances rapid growth with worker welfare concerns. The escalating rhetoric between political leaders and platform executives indicates that resolution may require more structured dialogue between stakeholders.

Expert analysis suggests the controversy encompasses fundamental questions about value distribution, worker rights, and sustainable business models in India's digital economy era. The characterization of workers and their demands has become a central flashpoint in determining the future direction of gig economy regulation and worker protections.

As arguments intensify over gig worker wages, safety and working conditions, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has released detailed platform data showing that delivery partners earned an average of ₹102.00 per hour in 2025. The data comes amid a growing national debate around whether gig work offers fair pay and protections, with worker unions, policymakers and netizens questioning earnings stability, long hours and safety risks in app-based delivery jobs.

Detailed Wage Breakdown and Growth

Goyal provided comprehensive earnings data for Zomato delivery partners, revealing significant year-on-year growth in hourly compensation. The earnings per hour (EPH) calculation includes total logged-in time, including periods when delivery partners may be waiting for orders.

Using the 2025 EPH, Goyal estimates that a delivery partner working 10 hours a day for 26 days a month would earn about ₹26,500.00 in gross monthly income. After accounting for fuel and vehicle maintenance costs, estimated at around 20 percent, net earnings would be roughly ₹21,000.00 per month.

Working Patterns and Platform Usage

Goyal clarified that most delivery partners use the platform intermittently rather than as full-time employment. The data reveals flexible working arrangements that allow partners to determine their own schedules and work areas.

"Delivery partners are not assigned shifts or geographies. They determine when to log in and log out, and their area of work in a specific city," Goyal explained. Partners also have the freedom to add or remove desired work areas based on their preferences.

Delivery Speed and Safety Metrics

Addressing concerns around quick commerce and 10-minute delivery promises, Goyal provided data showing that delivery timelines do not translate into pressure on delivery partners to ride faster. He emphasized that delivery partners do not see customer-facing delivery timers or countdowns in the app.

Goyal said average riding speeds across platforms are broadly similar, suggesting that differences between 10-minute and longer delivery timelines are shaped by logistics and store density, not driving behavior. He acknowledged that road safety remains one of the most complex challenges across logistics ecosystems and requires shared responsibility.

Social Security and Benefits

Goyal detailed the comprehensive insurance coverage and benefits provided to delivery partners, with Zomato and Blinkit investing significantly in worker protection and support systems.

Additional benefits include tax-filing support, access to a gig-linked National Pension Scheme, rest days for women partners, and an SOS emergency service. Delivery partners receive 100 percent of customer tips with no deductions, and tips are transferred instantly with Zomato absorbing payment gateway processing costs.

The clarification comes following calls for a gig worker strike that sparked massive discourse on social media around wages of delivery workers, 10-minute delivery pressure, and overall working conditions in the gig economy sector.