Online food delivery company Zomato announced on Thursday that it is constructing what it calls “Rest Points,” a type of public infrastructure, to support the gig economy as a whole and the delivery partners of different businesses.
Deepinder Goyal, the company’s founder and CEO, stated in a blog post that it already operates two “Rest Points” in Gurgaon and wants to add more rest stations in its food delivery business’s densest population centres.
Rest Stations provide access to restrooms, clean drinking water, phone charging stations, high-speed internet, a 24-hour help desk, and first aid assistance. However, Goyal withheld information regarding the number or location of these Rest Points.
“In line with our commitment to their welfare, we are delighted to announce The Shelter Project under which we have started building public infrastructure (called Rest Points) to support the entire gig economy and delivery partners of various companies,” Goyal said in the blog post. “We recognise that delivery partners face multiple challenges while on the job, from navigating through traffic to delivering orders in inclement weather conditions.”
According to research by the government think tank NITI Aayog, 77 lakh people in India were working in the gig economy in 2020–21, and by 2029–30, 2.35 crore people were predicted to be employed in this sector.
Goyal further noted that “we believe that by providing a space for all delivery partners to rest, recharge, and take a moment for themselves, we can create a better environment that promotes their physical and mental health.”
Delivery boys, cleaning staff, consultants, bloggers, etc. are all employed outside of the usual employer-employee relationship and confront a variety of issues connected to social security, gratuities, minimum wage protection, and working hours.
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