Zomato, Blinkit onboarded 3.1 lakh delivery partners in FY26, says Deepinder Goyal

Zomato and Blinkit onboarded 3.1 lakh delivery partners in the financial year 2025-26 (FY26), marking a 57% increase compared with the previous year, Eternal CEO Deepinder Goyal said in a social media post. The update highlights the growing role of gig workers in India's food delivery and quick-commerce sectors.

Sharing the figures on X, Goyal said the numbers represented more than just the expansion of delivery platforms, pointing to the individual ambitions, responsibilities and livelihoods behind each worker.

“Behind every one of these numbers is a person with interests and ambitions,” Goyal wrote, highlighting how delivery partners balance different aspects of their lives while working with the platforms.

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He cited examples of students managing classes, entrepreneurs building their own ventures, dancers pursuing their passion, and parents juggling work and family responsibilities.

Gig workers and India's employment landscape

The latest figures come amid the continued expansion of app-based delivery services in India, driven by demand for restaurant meals, groceries and other essentials delivered to customers' doorsteps. The growth of food delivery and quick-commerce platforms has created opportunities for workers seeking flexible earning arrangements, although their working conditions and income security remain important issues in the gig economy.

In a follow-up post, Goyal broadened the discussion beyond delivery partners to include employees, warehouse workers and their families, underlining the wider employment ecosystem supported by the business.

“If you add our employees, warehouse workers, and all their families, Eternal directly supports the livelihoods of well over 1% Indians,” he wrote.

He also outlined a longer-term ambition for the company, adding that “getting this to 5% by 2030 would be damn cool.”

The statement reflects the company's aspiration to expand its economic footprint as its businesses grow. However, the estimate refers to livelihoods supported directly and indirectly through the broader ecosystem, rather than the number of people employed directly by Eternal.

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Eternal's expanding delivery ecosystem

Eternal operates food delivery platform Zomato and quick-commerce service Blinkit, both of which depend on extensive networks of delivery partners and other operational workers.

The onboarding of 3.1 lakh delivery partners in FY26 underscores the scale of workforce participation required to serve India's growing online consumption market. Goyal's message also shifts attention to the people behind the services, presenting delivery work as one part of a broader picture of employment, personal ambition and family responsibilities.