Food delivery major Zomato and quick commerce platform Blinkit, along with Startup India under DPIIT, hosted the third edition of the ‘Powering Inclusive Growth: Role of Platforms’ Conference in the national capital.

The conference brought together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society groups, academics and startups to discuss practical ways to improve the well-being of India’s growing platform workforce.

Strong Government Presence

The event was attended by several senior dignitaries. Chief Guest Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Youth Affairs and Sports, delivered the keynote address. Other Guests of Honor included Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Manmeet Kaur Nanda, Additional Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities; and Randip Singh Jagpal, Whole Time Member (Law), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.

Dr Mandaviya said platform-based work has created new livelihood opportunities for millions, but growth must go hand in hand with social security and safeguards. He encouraged platforms to register themselves and their workers on the E-Shram portal and continue investing in delivery worker welfare.

Ms. Nanda stressed the importance of accessibility and called on corporate organisations to commit to meaningful hiring of persons with disabilities over the next one to two years.

Focus on Health, Safety and Financial Inclusion

The conference opened with remarks by Aditya Mangla, CEO of Zomato, and Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer at Eternal Limited, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit. Mangla described delivery partners as the backbone of the platform economy and said their financial security and healthcare access are essential for sustainable growth. Kumar added that this year’s edition focused strongly on health, safety and financial inclusion, areas that directly impact delivery partners’ daily lives.

Two panel discussions explored key themes. The first examined diversity, safety, skilling and tech-enabled safeguards in platform work. The second focused on improving access to insurance, pension instruments and government welfare schemes through technology-driven solutions.

White Paper on Women in Last-Mile Logistics

The event also saw the release of a White Paper on Enhancing Women’s Participation in Urban Last-Mile Logistics. The paper was developed by Nikore Associates, the Udaiti Foundation and the Confederation of Indian Industry – Centre for Women’s Leadership (CII-CWL), with inputs from Zomato and Blinkit. The report highlighted the role urban logistics can play in achieving India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, including the goal of raising women’s workforce participation to 70 percent.

Startup Challenges and Innovation

As part of the third edition, two Platform Worker Wellbeing Challenges were organised:

• Health, Safety and Financial Inclusion Challenge

• Financial Inclusion and Upskilling Solutions Challenge

Out of 47 applications received nationwide, six startups from each category were shortlisted to present their solutions before a jury that included industry leaders, social impact experts and delivery partners from Zomato and Blinkit.

Existing Worker Benefits

Zomato and Blinkit shared details of existing initiatives for delivery partners. These include OPD coverage up to ₹5,000, medical insurance up to ₹1 lakh, and accidental insurance up to ₹10 lakh. Women delivery partners are offered maternity insurance and two days of paid period rest every month, along with visibility of order locations between 7 PM and 5 AM for added safety.

Blinkit’s Doctor@Store program allows delivery partners, store staff and their families to access free consultations and medicines on-site. Since its launch in January 2026, nearly 1 lakh consultations have been recorded.

On the financial side, partners can create fixed and recurring deposits, file tax returns with support, and open pension accounts under the gig-variant National Pension Scheme directly through their apps.

Founded in 2008, Eternal Limited is India’s largest new-age tech company by market capitalisation and the first tech company to join the BSE Sensex 30-share index. Its businesses span food delivery (Zomato), quick commerce (Blinkit), going-out offerings (District), and B2B supplies (Hyperpure).

With this third edition of the conference, the company aims to deepen collaboration between platforms, policymakers and innovators to create stronger safeguards and opportunities for India’s platform workforce.

-By Shivani Solanki