Zepto CEO meets labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya; says, 'Our mantra is to serve delivery partner family'

Aadit Palicha, co-founder and CEO of Zepto, met Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya to discuss the role of the gig economy and hyperlocal commerce in employment generation and economic mobility across India.

The meeting comes at a time when India’s gig economy, especially quick commerce and food delivery platforms, including Zepto, are facing growing scrutiny. Earlier this month, delivery partners across several cities raised concerns over low pay, long working hours, and safety risks linked to fast delivery promises such as “10-minute delivery.”

The government has since asked platforms to avoid messaging that may put pressure on delivery workers.

During the meeting, the Labour Minister reiterated the government’s support for platforms that are contributing to job creation, while also stressing the need to ensure worker safety and dignity.

Zepto said that it has enabled employment for over 180,000 delivery partners and more than 40,000 people across its ecosystem, including store staff, truck drivers, and warehouse operators.

Palicha said such platforms are helping create new income opportunities and improving economic mobility, especially for young workers in cities.

In a LinkedIn post after the meeting, Palicha said the Labour Ministry has been “incredibly supportive of the gig economy and hyperlocal commerce as a whole.”

“Delivery partners are the soul of our company, and I know I speak for the whole Zepto team when I say that we are working hard to build this company because we feel it can make a small positive contribution to their lives and our country’s development,” he wrote.

“We take pride in the thousands of crores of payouts we disburse to our workforce every year, the world-class service we give to Indian consumers (better than the service in most developed countries), the farmers we help expand through our fruits and vegetables vertical, and the thousands of new Indian brands we help build with our platform,” Palicha said.

He also noted that the Minister suggested removing “10 minutes” from Zepto’s branding, a step the company has already taken following recent safety concerns.

“Of course, we are not perfect and we are always open to inputs from the government on how we can improve,” Palicha wrote, adding that Zepto is happy to work with the Ministry on any suggestions that help the sector grow in a safer and more sustainable way.

Zepto also highlighted that it disburses payouts worth thousands of crores every year to its workforce. The company works closely with farmers through its fruits and vegetables supply chain and supports thousands of Indian brands by helping them scale through its platform.

“Our mantra is to humbly serve our delivery partner family in the best way we can. We believe that is good for them AND good for our business,” he added.