Nobel Laureate and economist Abhijit Banerjee at a plenary on ‘Chhaunk: On Food, Economic and Society’ on the final day of the 16th edition of Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) in Hyderabad on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR

For the second day, the BSE index sensex and the NSE index nifty, surged
| Photo Credit: PTI

The two bills are listed for introduction by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on December 1, 2025. Photo: Sansad TV via PTI Photo

Just about everything comes to your door today — from food and groceries to clothes and appliances. For thousands of workers who bring them over, it is always a race against time. Quick commerce companies promise customers deliveries in about 10 minutes, placing an unrealistic expectation on the delivery personnel who have to navigate Bengaluru’s notorious traffic congestion. As a result, delivery workers overspeeding, zooming on footpaths to bypass jams, weaving their way through congested lanes and jumping signals is a common sight in the city.

As Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh puts it, the large presence of delivery personnel on pedestrian paths has even created the perception that footpaths are not out of bounds for motorists.

Interactive | Explore dark patterns in e-commerce apps

The significant number of delivery personnel on the road and the nature of the gig economy has added to making the city’s roads more unsafe than they already were. There are also several cases of delivery personnel racing against time becoming accident victims themselves. Bengaluru has recorded at least 27 accidents over the last three years where delivery persons have been victims.

Bengaluru Traffic Police data accessed by The Hindu shows that violations by delivery partners have increased dramatically. In 2023, the Bengaluru Traffic Police booked 30,968 cases against delivery personnel. This rose sharply to 52,153 in 2024, and climbed again to 63,718 in just the first nine months of 2025. These numbers point not merely to individual lapses, but to a worsening systemic issue tied to the nature of gig work, rising urban pressure, and regulatory gaps.

The police have encountered several law and order cases as well. One such incident, described by Singh, involved a worker disappearing with a laptop he was to deliver. At the time of joining, he concealed his previous theft record, and the company, operating within a fast-expanding gig-work environment, failed to conduct proper background checks. When the police probed the case, they found that he had been sacked from another company because of his alleged involvement in a similar case.

In 2023, 13 law and order cases involving delivery personnel were reported. In 2024, the number recorded was seven. In 2025 so far, the tally has risen to 24, according to the city crime records bureau.

Larger social issue

According to R.S. Deshpande, former professor at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), these rising violations are deeply rooted in broader socio-economic factors. He notes that although gig working models, prevalent in many Western countries, have expanded rapidly in India, the regulatory frameworks that support such systems in the West have not been developed here.

The absence of clear laws governing gig work has had cascading effects on workers’ lives and has resulted in growing concerns related to traffic disruptions, unsafe road behaviour, and petty crimes. Researchers studying the gig economy echoed his perspective, pointing also to the lack of social responsibility among aggregators, lawmakers’ failure to address the multi-layered dimensions of gig work, and the availability and exploitation of cheap migrant labour as major contributing factors. Singh agreed that these structural conditions amplify both traffic violations and crime.

Meeting with aggregators

As complaints grew, the Bengaluru Police convened a meeting last month with platform aggregators that employ gig workers. During the meeting, police presented an extensive set of documented violations committed by gig-economy workers and announced a series of measures. They warned aggregators that they would now begin fixing accountability directly on the companies through existing laws if violations continued.

The largest category of violations involves traffic offences.

Micromobility EV scooters, popular because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to manoeuvre, make up a major share of these complaints. Yet, as police officers pointed out, almost no formal cases have been booked against riders of these scooters because they do not fall under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. “Legally, these scooters are treated like bicycles rather than motor vehicles,” said Sahil Bagla, DCP (East, Traffic). He noted that police cannot impose penalties unless the scooter causes a traffic disruption, although special drives are conducted regularly to address such behaviour.

According to documents accessed by The Hindu, other crimes listed by Bengaluru Police involving delivery workers include robbery, assault, molestation, theft, sexual harassment and public nuisance.

Another major issue is drug movement. Peddlers have often used delivery services to transport drugs to customers using parcel options provided by aggregators. While many deliveries are unintentional on the part of delivery partners, police have found cases where delivery persons colluded with peddlers, who charged customers transportation fees and passed that money to delivery personnel. In another case, peddlers packaged drugs in medium-sized boxes, filled them with heavy objects to avoid suspicion, and delivered them to locations without the knowledge of the delivery person.

The police also flag the behavioural impact of delivery persons on the public. C. Vamsi Krishna, Additional Commissioner (West), said, “When congestion is high and motorists spot delivery persons riding on the footpath, it is highly likely that others will follow the same path. Reinforcing such behaviour threatens public safety and causes traffic disorderliness.”

Unrealistic deadlines

While delivery personnel often get profiled and stigmatised as violators, Vinay Sarathy, president of the United Food Delivery Partners’ Union, pointed out that there is immense pressure on delivery partners from two sides when they are working under time-bound delivery targets: from the aggregators and from the customers.

“Platforms portray as if 10-minute delivery is real, but practically it cannot be done so. Even the platforms are aware of it. On the other hand, when delivery partners are delayed due to genuine issues on the ground, such as traffic, aggregators issue warnings and sometimes even impose fines. The punishment can go as far as deactivating the delivery partners’ IDs, which means they can no longer work with the company,” he said.

He further added that although instances of customers shouting at delivery partners do not occur very frequently, the problem still persists, and delivery partners constantly have in mind that they must deliver the parcel quickly. “So, whenever the police conduct drives to crack down on delivery partners, we have urged that they should instead hold the companies (aggregators) responsible, because they are the ones who set unrealistic deadlines,” he said.

Gajendra Singh, a delivery partner, speaking to The Hindu, said that customers lose their temper most of the time when a parcel is delayed by even 10 minutes. “There will be at least two calls if the order is delayed by a few minutes. Sometimes, when we have to deliver multiple orders, we are bound to be a bit late, but that is not condoned by customers, and they abuse us,” Gajendra Singh said, adding that such aspects of the job force them to break traffic rules.

Victims themselves

While delivery workers are often involved in violations, they are also frequent victims of crime. According to Akshay Hakay Machhindra, DCP (Central), theft is the most common crime targeting delivery personnel. Many orders are placed after 10 p.m., which requires delivery workers to navigate isolated or poorly lit routes late at night. Thieves exploit this vulnerability, frequently snatching mobile phones. Investigations have revealed that some thieves specifically seek out delivery workers because they know the workers rely heavily on their phones for work.

Delivery personnel have also been threatened or intimidated by rowdy elements, sometimes being coerced into assisting in criminal activities. In the ride-hailing segment, similar issues surface. Deepika M.G., a professor at Alliance University, noted that cab drivers get verbally abused by intoxicated passengers, and some customers refuse to pay fares.

Industrial and Legislative failures

Deepika emphasised that gaps in the regulatory framework have contributed significantly to the rising number of cases involving gig workers. When the Central government consolidated labour laws under the new labour codes, the Code on Industrial Relations did not address gig work and applied only to full-time employees. The Code on Wages (2019) also requires an employer–employee relationship, something that does not exist in the gig-work model.

If aggregators had been legally defined as employers and gig workers as employees, companies would have formal accountability. This would compel them to create safer working conditions, invest in training, and ensure that workers do not violate laws in the course of earning their wages. Instead, the current system relies heavily on incentives linked to fast deliveries, the number of orders completed, and customer ratings. These incentives, experts said, encourage risky behaviour.

Most delivery workers are migrants who move to the city seeking better livelihoods. Their desire to earn and send money home often drives them to take risks. Machhindra said that aggregators maintain “zero relationship” with delivery partners, as the entire system is governed by order IDs. Delivery workers, he said, are treated simply as “a mode of transport”.

Deepika also pointed out that although Karnataka introduced the Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025, widely praised by stakeholders and activists for its progressive provisions, it has yet to be fully implemented.

Aggregators’ role

The police have pointed to several ways aggregators could reduce violations: enforcing stricter hiring practices, providing training, linking incentives to zero traffic violations, and issuing clear behavioural SOPs. However, aggregators continue to hire workers without proper background verification because of high demand and the availability of cheap labour. This has resulted in widespread problems.

Officers said aggregators avoid responsibility by defining themselves merely as “service providers” and by offering incentives that encourage unsafe, high-speed riding.

Delivery workers confirm the role of incentives. Naveen Raj, a delivery partner from Bihar, said night-time incentives and fast-delivery bonuses significantly increase their earnings. Ratings also matter, as higher ratings lead to more orders. Another delivery partner, Luv Kumar, said micro EV scooters are cost-effective and easy to manoeuvre through narrow lanes, allowing workers to make more deliveries in less time.

The city Police Commissioner noted that aggregators often fail to conduct even basic background verification, allowing habitual offenders to enter the workforce.

Deepika argued for legislative reforms to regulate this economy on the whole. She pointed out that a large number of workers from unorganised sectors have moved into gig work. With no reforms to the Contract Labour Act regarding wages and incentives, or better protections for unorganised workers, gig work becomes an attractive option because workers can earn up to ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 a month. In contrast, other unorganised workers earn an average of ₹15,000 a month and can lose an entire month’s income to a single medical bill. Thus, gig work appears more profitable despite its risks.

Now, in the absence of strict regulation, the Bengaluru Police have adopted a “fix accountability-or-book” approach.

Aggregators’ accountability

At the meeting held last month, the police issued mandatory guidelines for gig-based service operators to improve safety for both workers and the public. They said that companies must conduct thorough background checks, ensure that workers carry ID cards, provide identifiable uniforms, activate SOS features linked to police control rooms, maintain GPS tracking with at least 30 days of data, and implement night-time safety measures. Delivery workers must also receive regular training on safety, cyber-awareness, and appropriate customer conduct, the police said.

Operators must promptly share verified worker data with the police, report any crimes or accidents involving workers, and suspend workers accused of misconduct until investigations are complete. Nodal officers will be held responsible for compliance, and violations may result in legal action.

Although there are no direct legal provisions to charge aggregators, the police plan to use indirect sections under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, including negligent behaviour or aiding criminal offences. They may also recommend licence cancellations of aggregators in cases of repeated violations.

This image is used for representational purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

READ MORE

The story so far:

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is all set to introduce the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 in the second half of the Budget session that begins on March 10. The bill repeals all the four existing legislations that deal with immigration and movement of foreigners.

Why are fresh terms being drawn up?

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, matters relating to foreigners and immigration are administered through the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 and The Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. Three of these laws are from the “pre-Constitution period” brought during “extraordinary times” of World Wars I and II.

The statement notes that while there is an underlying continuity and commonality of objectives among the four Acts, there are some overlapping provisions and a necessity to repeal the Acts and enact a new comprehensive legislation — The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025.

The proposed legislation is to be enacted to avoid multiplicity and overlapping of laws on passports or other travel documents in respect of persons entering into and exiting from India and for regulating matters related to foreigners including the requirement of visa and registration.

What are the significant provisions?

The Bill has six chapters comprising 35 clauses and bunches of existing laws into a single document. It clearly defines the functions of the Immigration Officer, the requirements of passport and visa, and matters relating to foreigners and their registration. Though the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) already exists, the Bill seeks to provide legal backup for immigration functions, the Immigration Officer and the BoI.

It defines provisions relating to the obligations of universities and educational institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, and medical institutions to admit any foreigner. There was no defined rule earlier for such institutions; foreigners were asked to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Presently, it is mandatory for hotels and guest houses to share the passport details of foreigners with the police.

The Bill also has provisions relating to foreigners whose movements are restricted, the power of civil authority to control places frequented by foreigners and the provisions relating to the liability of carriers and their obligations. The Bill retains the provision on the “burden of proof” to prove that a person is not a foreigner on the person.

What is the provision for entry and stay of foreigners?

The Bill introduces the clause — “threat to national security, sovereignty and integrity of India and relations with a foreign State” — among the grounds to refuse the entry or stay of a foreigner in the country.

The proposed law states, “… no foreigner shall be allowed to enter into or stay in India if he is found inadmissible to do so on account of threat to national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, relations with a foreign State or public health or on such other grounds as the Central Government may specify,” adding that the decision of the Immigration Officer shall be final and binding. Earlier too, foreigners have been denied entry but the reasons were not explicitly mentioned in any legislation or rules. Many foreigners and persons of Indian origin have been denied entry based on executive orders. According to Foreigners Order, 1948, a foreigner may be denied entry if he or she is a threat to public safety, if the foreigner carries an infection or is affected by mental illness, if the passport or visa is invalid, faces extradition or has been previously denied entry into the country. The Bill mentions the power of the Centre to issue orders for the removal of foreigners, to delegate and exempt. Presently, Section 3 of the Foreigners Act 1946 empowers the Central government to prohibit, regulate or restrict the entry of foreigners into India or, their exit or stay. Section 5 of the Passport Act 1920 also has the provision for the removal of a foreigner who has entered without documents or a visa.

What are the penal provisions in the Bill?

The penalty for entering India without a passport or travel document in the proposed legislation is imprisonment for five years or a fine up to ₹5 lakh or both.

Using or supplying forged or fraudulently obtained passports or other travel documents or visas shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than two years, but may extend to seven years, and a fine of not less than ₹1 lakh but which may extend to ₹10 lakh, the Bill proposes.

Overstaying beyond the visa limit shall be punishable by three years and a fine up to ₹3 lakh.

Does the Bill allow States to detect and deport undocumented migrants?

Yes. The Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Jharkhand High Court last year that since the “Central Government does not maintain a separate federal police force exclusively dedicated to the task of detection and deportation of foreigners staying illegally, action in this regard has been entrusted to the State police.”

According to guidelines issued on April 24, 2014, and July 1, 2019, a foreigner can be deported after completion of the sentence/court proceedings by the State government if he/she has a valid travel document/passport and no other court case pending. In case the foreigner does not have a valid travel document, it should be obtained from the embassy or High Commission.

What about detention centres?

The Bill does not use the term ‘detention centres’. Clause 13 says foreigners are “required to reside at a place set apart for the residence under supervision.” Such places will be subject to conditions of maintenance, discipline and the punishment of offences and breaches of discipline as the Central Government may from time to time determine. The Centre may regulate access to places in India where foreigners whose movements are restricted are lodged. In 2019, following a Supreme Court directive, the MHA finalised the “Detention Centre Manual” for restricting the movement of foreign nationals who are awaiting deportation due to non-possession of valid travel documents and to ensure that they are physically available at all times for expeditious repatriation and deportation. The manual notes that States require “no specific approval” from the Home Ministry to set up “detention centres /holding centres/camps.” It lays down that centres should be set up outside the jail premises and their numbers and size should be decided by the States keeping in view the actual number of foreigners to be housed as well as the progress in deportation proceedings.

What are the other mechanisms in place to track the movement of foreigners?

The MHA has asked States to constitute two committees to identify foreigners who entered India pre- and post-January 1, 2011, and have stayed on beyond the visa period. The details of foreigners who entered legally and are said to be flouting visa regulations are uploaded on the e-FRRO portal, which can be accessed by the local police. Their details are also shared with government departments running flagship welfare schemes, driving licence, and PAN databases so that action can be taken if documents have been obtained fraudulently. The MHA asked the Unique Identification Authority of India to create a negative list of Aadhaar cards if a police investigation shows that they were procured fraudulently.

The MHA has also operationalised a Foreigners Identification Portal, which is accessible by the State police to upload the biometrics and other details of “illegal foreigners.” The purpose of the portal is to enable the States to identify illegal migrants for deportation and to prevent them from procuring documents such as Aadhaar.

New Delhi:

A child will need the consent of an adult for opening social media accounts, according to the draft rules proposed for the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025. The adult can be either a parent or a guardian, the draft rules say.

The Centre released the draft rules on Friday, and asked the public to send objections and suggestions. The public feedback can be submitted on mygov.in; the draft rules will be taken into consideration after February 18, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a notification Friday.

The consent given to a child for opening social media accounts needs to be “verifiable”, the rules say, adding processing of personal data of a child or of a person with disability will happen only with the “verifiable” consent.

“A data fiduciary shall adopt appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure that verifiable consent of the parent is obtained before the processing of any personal data of a child and shall observe due diligence, for checking that the individual identifying herself as the parent is an adult who is identifiable if required in connection with compliance with any law for the time being in force in India…,” the draft rules say.

Some of the salient features of the draft rules include greater consumer control over data; users can demand deletion of their data; companies should be more transparent with personal data; right for consumers to ask the reason why their data is being collected, and huge penalty of up to Rs 250 crore for data breach.

The rules define ‘e-commerce entity’ as any person who owns, operates or manages a digital facility or platform for e-commerce as defined in the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, but does not include a seller offering goods or services for sale on a marketplace e-commerce entity as defined in the said Act.

“Online gaming intermediary” means any intermediary who enables the users of its computer resource to access one or more online games, and “social media intermediary” means an intermediary as defined in the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000) who primarily or solely enables online interaction between two or more users and allows them to create, upload, share, disseminate, modify or access information using her services.

The gross GST collection rose 7.3% year-on-year to ₹1.77 lakh crore in December despite a significant increase in both domestic and export refunds. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Benchmark Se nsex rallied 1,436 points to close at a two-week high on Thursday (January 2, 2025) on buying in financial, auto and IT shares.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex jumped 1,436.30 points or 1.83% — its best single-day gain in more than a month — to settle at 79,943.71. During the day, it soared 1,525.46 points or 1.94% to 80,032.87.

The NSE Nifty surged 445.75 points or 1.88% to 24,188.65.

From 30 Sensex shares, Bajaj Finserv jumped nearly 8% while Bajaj Finance soared over 6%. Maruti, Titan, Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Tech, Zomato, UltraTech Cement and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the other major gainers.

Sun Pharma emerged as the only laggard.

The gross GST collection rose 7.3% year-on-year to ₹1.77 lakh crore in December despite a significant increase in both domestic and export refunds.

India’s manufacturing sector growth fell to a 12-month low in December, as new business orders and production expanded at softer rates, a monthly survey said on Thursday (January 2, 2025).

The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index was at 56.4 in December, down from 56.5 in November, indicating a weaker improvement in operating conditions.

Despite the decline, the headline figure remained above its long-run average of 54.1 thereby signalling a robust rate of growth.

In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expansion, while a score below 50 denotes contraction.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled lower.

European markets were trading mostly lower. U.S. markets were closed on Wednesday (January 1, 2025) for New Year holiday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,782.71 crore on Wednesday (January 1, 2025), according to exchange data.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 1.09% to $75.47 a barrel.

The BSE benchmark climbed 368.40 points or 0.47% to settle at 78,507.41 on the first trading session of 2025 on Wednesday (January 1, 2025). The Nifty went up by 98.10 points or 0.41% to 23,742.90.