e-commerce
Centre pulls plug on 10-minute delivery; Blinkit revokes, Swiggy, Zomato & Zepto to follow
NEW DELHI: India’s quick-commerce boom just hit a speed bump. After a month of quiet arm-twisting by union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the country’s biggest delivery apps have begun scrubbing “10-minute delivery” promises from their branding to cool the pressure on gig workers.
Blinkit has already blinked. Its main tagline has been switched from “10,000 plus products delivered in 10 minutes” to a blander “30,000 plus products delivered at your doorstep”, government sources said. Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy are expected to follow within days.
The clean-up comes after Mandaviya summoned the sector’s heavyweights to a series of meetings, warning that turbo-charged delivery pledges were pushing riders into risky behaviour on India’s clogged roads and eroding safety and dignity at work.
The ministry’s move was sharpened by a nationwide strike on New Year’s Eve, when more than 200,000 riders refused to deliver food and groceries, protesting punishing timelines, pay and safety. The walkout reignited scrutiny of a sector that has grown at breakneck speed but left workers exposed.
In Parliament last month, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, accused platforms of trading on “pain and misery” and demanded tighter rules, social security and fair wages. Investors, already twitchy about the cost of extending labour protections under India’s new codes, have been watching closely.
India’s gig workforce is forecast to hit 23.5 million by 2030, nearly triple its size a decade ago.
e-commerce
Amazon unveils first Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report
32,000 bad actors targeted, 15 million fake products removed in 2025.
MUMBAI: In a marketplace where trust is the real currency, Amazon is showing its receipts. Amazon has released its first-ever Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report, offering a detailed look at how it polices its vast digital shelves from counterfeit crackdowns to scam detection and review authenticity. At the heart of the report is a four-pronged strategy, proactive controls, risk anticipation, enforcement against bad actors, and consumer protection. The scale is staggering. Since 2020, Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has pursued over 32,000 bad actors globally through litigation and criminal referrals spanning 14 countries.
The clean-up drive accelerated in 2025, with the company identifying and disposing of more than 15 million counterfeit products worldwide. Legal action also led to the takedown of over 100 websites linked to fake reviews and scams, an ongoing battle in the age of algorithmic manipulation.
Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence and machine learning are doing the heavy lifting. Amazon says it monitors billions of daily interactions across listings, reviews, and seller activity to spot trouble before it surfaces. Its predictive systems can even flag potentially infringing listings for trending products before brands raise the alarm.
Tools like Omniscan, which verifies product safety information at scale, and SENTRIX, designed to detect and eliminate phishing websites, are part of this expanding tech arsenal. Together, they aim to reduce risk while keeping the platform usable for legitimate sellers.
That balance between protection and friction is a tightrope Amazon acknowledges. Rohan Oommen, Vice President of Worldwide Customer and Partner Trust, noted that while safeguards are critical, they must not stifle genuine businesses. Features like the Account Health Dashboard are meant to give sellers clearer visibility into compliance and performance.
Consumer-facing measures are also getting sharper. From direct safety alerts to recall notifications and refund guidance, Amazon is leaning into transparency, backed by partnerships with consumer organisations to raise awareness.
The report’s release follows the expansion of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit into India, signalling a deeper push into one of its fastest-growing markets, with closer coordination planned between brands, sellers, and law enforcement.
In short, as online shopping grows more complex, Amazon is betting that trust built through data, enforcement, and a fair bit of algorithmic vigilance will be its most valuable product yet.
