Blinkit’s co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa on Tuesday revealed what was ordered most on the quick commerce company’s mobile application on New Year’s Eve, drawing a sharp response from comedian Kunal Kamra, who questioned how much average wages he paid to his delivery partners in 2024.

In a post on X, he said Zomato-backed Blinkit, which claims it delivers items within 10 minutes, received the highest-ever orders in a day, the highest OPM (orders per minute), the highest OPH (orders per hour) and the highest total tips given to delivery partners in a day.

‘1,22,356 packs of condoms, 45,531 bottles of mineral water, 22,322 Partysmart, 2,434 Eno are enroute right now! Prep for after party?,” he posted.

1,22,356 packs of condoms
45,531 bottles of mineral water
22,322 Partysmart
2,434 Eno

..are enroute right now! Prep for after party?

— Albinder Dhindsa (@albinder) December 31, 2024

Kunal Kamra, however, attacked Mr Dhindsa and said the quick commerce platform owners “exploit gig workers” and they “aren’t job creators”.

They are landlords without owning any land, Mr Kamra, who was last year engaged in a fight with Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal over the after-sales and service quality of the company’s electric scooters, charged.

While we enjoy the convenience of quick commerce I’d like my first tweet of 2025 to be about the dark side.

Platform owners exploit gig workers & they aren’t job creators.

They are landlords without owning any land.

They don’t have a bone of creativity or innovation all…

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 31, 2024

“While we enjoy the convenience of quick commerce I’d like my first tweet of 2025 to be about the dark side. They (platform owners) don’t have a bone of creativity or innovation all they do is exploit people by offering them freedom that they can’t afford while giving them wages that can’t meet their aspirations,” he said.

ALSO READ | From Porsche To BMW, Video Of Luxury Cars Parked At Zomato, Blinkit Offices Goes Viral

He alleged they are “thugs that are using data as oil without paying for the oil fields”.

“Someday there will be regulation that humbles them,” he added.

Mr Kamra also asked the Blinkit CEO to “enlighten” the public with data on the average wages he paid his delivery partners in 2024.

Can you also enlighten us with data on the average wages you paid your “Delivery Partners” in 2024… https://t.co/v0yBlvobCQ

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 31, 2024

Mr Dhindsa was yet to respond.

What Blinkit Delivery Boys Are Paid

Blinkit delivery partners earn up to Rs 50,000 per month with incentives and other benefits, according to the company’s website.

Their payments are made every 7 days and they can be their “own boss” by choosing their work hours (4, 8 or 10 hours), the website says.

The delivery partners, who should be 18 years of age or older, also get up to Rs 10 lac accidental and medical insurance.

They also get a joining bonus of up to Rs 4,000.

Blinkit, a Unicorn based in Gurugram, currently serves in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, and other major cities.

New Delhi:

Comedian Kunal Kamra, who has been in a feud with Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal over its electric scooters, is now requesting Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to “look at the plight of Indian customers”. For a couple of weeks, Mr Kamra has been flagging the state of Ola’s service centers where electric scooters are lined up with complaints.

In the latest turn of events, Mr Kamra took it to X (formerly Twitter) and reshared a post by user Prathamesh Daga who alleged that all scooters at Rangraj Nagar, Solapur centre are in bad condition and there are no qualified engineers or technicians in site to look after them.

“Customers invest hard earned money. Unacceptable,” wrote the user. Sharing the video, Mr Kamra tagged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, asking for government interference in the matter.

“Minister Nitin Gadkari please look at the plight of Indian customers, their voices aren’t heard. They can’t get to work. They are taking bad loans to solve an issue that is primarily Ola’s responsibility… When will government agencies intervene?”

Minister @nitin_gadkari please look at the plight of indian customers,
their voices aren’t heard.
They can’t get to work.
They are taking bad loans to solve an issue that is primarily Ola’s responsibility…
When will government agencies intervene? https://t.co/nJYapedavI

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 28, 2024

Kunal Kamra has been engaged in a heated spat with Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, regularly asking him to look after Ola Electric scooters. Once he even asked him to provide a “total refund” to anyone who wants to return their Ola EV and who has purchased it in the last four months.

“People not being able to get to their workplace need your accountability. Show your customers that you truly care,” he wrote.

It all started on October 6 when Mr Kamra took to his official X account and posted an image showing a large number of EV scooters being parked at an Ola service centre.

“Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers’ lifeline… Anyone who has an issue with Ola Electric leave your story below tagging all…,” he wrote.

His post, however, didn’t go well with Bhavish Aggarwal, who called it a “paid tweet” and asked Mr Kamra to “come and help” them out.

READ | “Sit Quiet”: Bhavish Aggarwal As Kunal Kamra Flags Ola EV Issue

“Since you care so much Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding the service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon,” he wrote.

Last week, Harish Abhichandani, Chief Financial Officer at Ola Electric, informed that 99% of the complaints have been resolved to the “complete satisfaction of the customer as per Ola Electric’s comprehensive redressal mechanism”.

To this, Mr Kamra asked the remaining 1% who are still facing an issue with their Ola Electric, to share their stories.

In the past few months, people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the substandard service of Ola EV. While one customer set fire to a service station, another warned potential buyers. Nisha Gowri, a Bengaluru resident, placed a placard on her Ola electric scooter, that read, “Dear Kannadigas, Ola is a useless two-wheeler. If you buy one, it will only make your life harder. Please do not buy an Ola Electric scooter.”

The post, shared on X, quickly gained attention and sparked a debate about the quality and service of Ola Electric scooters.

New Delhi:

After Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal backed Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work-week advice, a top neurologist today warned that it could increase the risk of several serious diseases and even premature death.

Narayan Murthy had, in 2023, said that if India wants to compete with developed economies that have made remarkable progress in recent decades, youngsters should work for 70 hours a week.

In a recent podcast, Bhavish reignited the debate on the 70-hour work week, saying that he is “fully in sync” with his advice.

“Working long hours is associated with increased risk of multiple serious diseases and even premature death,” said Sudhir Kumar, from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, in a post on social media platform X.com.

Citing several scientific studies the doctor said that “working 55 or more hours per week is associated with a 35 per cent higher risk of a stroke and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week”.

Further, working for more than 55 hours a week kills more than 8,00,000 people every year, he said.

Long working hours also raise the risk of being overweight, prediabetes, and Type 2 diabetes – a precursor to many diseases and early death.

“People working 69 or more hours a week are more likely to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms than those working 40 hours a week,” he said.

“CEOs are inclined to recommend long working hours for their employees to improve their company’s profits and their own net worth,” the neurologist said.

He added that in the case “where employees fall sick, they can be easily substituted”.

“It is in your best interest to choose an organisation that cares for employees and recommends reasonable working hours- to ensure a better work-life balance,” he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)