New Delhi [India], December 17 : Criticising the quick commerce applications for being "tyrannical" towards their employees, Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav on Tuesday reiterated his call to ban 10-minute delivery apps, claiming that the same companies have been oppressing gig workers and shooting up their evaluations on their backs, enriching only the companies.
"In today's time, Swiggy Zomato delivery boys, Blinkit Zepto riders, Ola Uber drivers, are a workforce on the back of which these big companies have become unicorns; they have got billion-dollar valuations. In this entire ecosystem that has been created, if there's one group of people who are oppressed and under immense pressure, it's the gig workers," AAP MP said during an exclusive interview with ANI.
Due to the guarantee of 10-minute delivery, a gig worker engages in reckless driving, becomes increasingly anxious, risks losing incentives, and also faces abuse from customers if the delivery is late, while not even getting any regular worker protections, Chadha said.
"Today, the biggest problem they face is the tyranny of this 10-minute delivery system. To deliver goods to you in 10 minutes, that person engages in dangerous driving, becomes a patient of anxiety, and experiences a fluctuating heart rate. There are many problems they face to be there for your delivery. If they are even one minute late, they fear being logged out of the app, fear losing their incentives, and also face abuse from customers, get fewer ratings," he said.
As part of improving working conditions and rights for workers, Chadha has proposed setting working hours for gig workers to end the practice of people working 14-16 hours a day for incentives.
"Apart from this, the dignity of workers is also there. Their minimum wage and maximum working hours should be designated. They work 14 to 16 hours continuously, in conditions worse than those of a daily wage labourer. No provident fund, no ESI, no permanent employment, no job security, no paid leaves, there is no set-up," he added.
Chadha further praised the labour codes for recognising gig workers, but said that there is still more to be done in order to ensure them dignity and financial security.
"The new labour codes have atleast done a good thing, which is that they have recognised gig workers. Till now, in our legal system, there was a statute where they were not even recognised; that is a big step. But still, we haven't been able to offer them financial security and dignity. There is hope to work towards that, too," he said.
"If we can sit in our homes so that they can deliver us stuff in 10 minutes, then they are also hopeful that we can do something for them, bring a law, bring rules. I have put this issue in Parliament too, and I think my words have reached the government that there needs to be a separate set of regulations," he added.
The AAP MP further criticised the Centre for their inadequate AI policy, saying that the technology will "define the coming era", and as such, it is crucial to talk about "Make AI in India."
"There's no political strategy behind this. AI will define the coming era, and where we talk about Make in India, it's crucial to talk about Make AI in India. The country that possesses the power of AI will be the global superpower of the next decade. Why hasn't India been able to create its own LLM yet? Why hasn't it been able to create its own generative AI tool?... We should provide free AI tools to the people of our country. Imagine the immense potential this would unlock for the nation," he said.
Earlier on December 6, Chadha raised the same issue in Parliament, speaking about the "pain and misery" of India's gig workers who work under tremendous pressure and at times harsh weather conditions.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha demanded regulations on quick commerce and other app-based delivery and service businesses, especially emphasising the need for the benefits of gig workers.