The day after labour ministry’s nudge to delivery platforms to drop the 10-minute branding, a breathless Sumit Singh appeared on the landing of my floor with my order. While I waited by the lift, seeing Singh emerge from the stairwell of my Noida apartment gave me a mild shock. “You climbed 17 floors?” I asked.“Ji, ma’am,” he replied, adjusting the voluminous bag strapped to his shoulders and wiping sweat from his forehead as I stood wrapped in three layers on one of NCR’s coldest days. “I can’t wait for the lift. Every minute I save gives me a chance to earn more.” Though the app I was using, Zepto, wasn’t promising 10-minute delivery, just as told, nothing had changed for Sumit. Not the daily 10-12-hour race against the clock, not the business model geared towards survival of the quickest, not the expectation of the customer sitting with fruits and expecting milk for cereal, and certainly not the class system hardcoded into NCR apartment culture of allowing delivery boys only into service lifts (meant for garbage).Sumit had waited five minutes – for him, “the outer limit of time wastage” – for the service lift to arrive at the ground floor and decided to sprint up when it didn’t. When I told him about the 10-minute promise being removed, he laughed. “That is only an announcement. Reality remains the same. The faster I finish an order, the faster I get the next one. That’s how this works. My income depends on how many deliveries I complete in a day. If one order gets delayed, it has a ripple effect,” he said.Over the last few weeks, more so since govt brought in the new labour code and gig workers’ unions called a strike during Christmas and New Year, the superfast commerce model has come under the scanner for exploitative practices. Though the strikes weren’t disruptive, they brought main concerns of the gig economy – harsh working conditions, stiff targets and lack of job or income security – into public discourse. Govt’s intervention on the 10-minute branding was a nod to those concerns.But it’s the medley of the invisibles – the stopwatch that a ping for an order starts, performance metrics and work allocation algorithms, and the incentive structure – that choreographs the delivery gig. Changing the branding doesn’t change this, or Sumit’s deliverables, or the next steep climb.Discontinuation of 10-minute deliveries was among the main demands of the gig workers’ unions that called the strike to prioritise safety of riders. That will, however, mean taking ‘quick’ out of commerce, which is a foundational challenge to the business model. Why is saving time so important?For every kilometre travelled, Sumit says he earns around Rs 14 per order. Longer-distance orders fetch slightly more, but they also take more time and burn more fuel or battery charge. To earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 a month after deducting fuel costs and traffic challans – the minimum that delivery riders say they need to earn to survive in Delhi-NCR – they must, according to Sumit, complete 30-35 deliveries a day. “That means working 10-12 hours daily without any weekly off. On a good day, I earn up to Rs 850,” he explains.Income varies from one platform to another. Gaurav Kumar, who delivers for Swiggy Instamart, says, “Today, I earned Rs 366 after working 8 hours and 33 minutes. I completed 14 deliveries. Scrapping of the 10-minute rule has not changed anything for me. What I want is a steady income.”Customer behaviour adds another layer of stress. Dhruv Rajput, who works with Blinkit in Gurgaon, says people have become used to lightning quick deliveries and get irritated by delays. “People still want their orders fast, whether or not it’s a 10-minute promise. Sometimes, in cash on delivery cases, there are customers who refuse to pay if we get late. They don’t want to hear about traffic congestion. There is no option then but to take the blame and apologise,” he says.What’s worse than an unhappy customer?If there’s something riders fear more than an irritable customer, it’s being blocked out of the app. All riders TOI spoke to said reasons for blocking IDs are arbitrary, ranging from rejections to customer complaints. “Even if there is an emergency to attend to, if a rider rejects orders a few times on the app, it can lead to deductions, or worse, blocking,” says Deepak Kumar, a Zepto rider in Delhi. “Rejecting an order can lead to a deduction of Rs 5-10 or more, depending on distance and order quantity. Accounts can get blocked too. Then you can’t work at all.”Riders also run a huge risk of traffic fines. To save time, they often drive on the wrong side, take turns they aren’t supposed to, hoping they won’t get caught. Sumit, who delivers in Noida, says Dec 2025 was a particularly unlucky month. “I paid Rs 6,000 in traffic fines.”A critical part of the job that does not get any attention, say delivery riders, is the weight of orders they carry. Raju, a Blinkit rider in Delhi, says: “I’m often climbing stairs and carrying around with me a bag weighing 25-30kg. This takes a toll on the body like back and knee pain. Govt should bring in clear weight limits.” TOI wrote to Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart for a comment, but did not receive a response.What are our rights? Educate usRiders said they were aware of the new labour code govt has brought, but details are vague to them. They urged govt to organise awareness camps for them, so they can be educated about what their rights are. A rider said awareness about rights is not something the industry takes seriously. The rider’s app showed he has a total health coverage of Rs 1 lakh, OPD coverage of Rs 10,000 and accidental coverage of Rs 10 lakh. Although the status of ‘Health and Accident Insurance’ was ‘Active’ on the app, the rider said he had no idea how to claim it and no one from the company had explained it to him. “There is an option to ‘Raise a Claim’ but it asks for several details when you press it. Riders need help with that. One of my friends recently met with an accident while on a delivery and broke his leg. He wasn’t able to claim insurance because he is not very conversant with the technicalities. If govt wants actual change, it should provide training to gig workers on our rights, insurance, finances and safety measures,” said the rider.

EW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has slapped IndiGo with the steepest fine ever for an Indian carrier – Rs 22.2 crore – for its massive flight disruptions last month.Additionally, the airline has to submit a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore whose release is tied to implementing, among other things, the more humane flight duty norms for pilots aimed to enhancing flight safety. The regulator has warned senior airline officials, including the CEO & COO. The senior VP of operation control centre has to be removed from his position.

The senior VP of operation control centre has to be removed from his position and not given any accountable position in the future. The aviation ministry has ordered “an internal inquiry to identify and implement systemic improvements within DGCA”.The regulator late on Saturday night released key findings of the report by its four-member panel that probed IndiGo schedule collapse last month. The airline’s unpreparedness and consequent inability to implement DGCA’s new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) for pilots has cost it dear. Each day’s exemption given for its Airbus A320 family pilots to ensure the airline was able to start resuming flights staring the second week of Dec is costing it Rs 30 lakh. This works out to Rs 20.4 crore for 68 days between Dec 5, 2025, & Feb 10, 2026.The airline has been fined one-time Rs 30 lakh each on six more counts, which add up the fine to Rs 22.2 crore. The six failures include failure to comply with new FDTL rules, rest periods, “inadequate buffer margins in roster planning… failure to strike balance between commercial imperatives and crew members’ ability to work effectively and failure of accountable management to ensure overall functioning, financing, and conduct of operations to DGCA standards.“Between Dec 3 and 5, 2,507 IndiGo flights were cancelled and 1,852 were delayed that left over 3 lakh passengers stranded at airports across the airline’s network. Flights had resumed gradually over the next week or so.What caused the crisis:“Over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness along with deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure & operational control on the IndiGo”, have been identified as the “primary causes for the disruption” by the DGCA probe panel. “The airline’s management failed to adequately identify planning deficiencies, maintain sufficient operational buffer, and effectively implement the revised FDTL provisions,” the report says.Action against IndiGo:Apart from fines, the airline’s CEO has been cautioned “for inadequate overall oversight of flight ops and crisis management.” Accountable manager & COO, Isidre Porqueras, has been warned for “failure to assess impact of winter schedule 2025 and revised FDTL leading to widespread disruptions.” Senior VP (ops control centre) has been asked to be relieved from the post and not be given any accountable position in future. Warnings have been issued to flight ops and crew resource planning “for operational, supervisory, manpower planning and roster management lapses.”Way ahead:DGCA has asked IndiGo to take appropriate action against any other personnel identified through its inquiry and submit a compliance report regarding the same. Sources say IndiGo has been made aware of the lapses of its senior officials, especially COO, and now the airline is expected to take action against them. “The findings underscore the need for operational planning, and effective management oversight to ensure sustainable operations and passenger safety & convenience,” report says.IndiGo statement:Confirming receipt of DGCA ruling, airline said it is “committed to taking full cognisance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures… an in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of the internal processes at IndiGo (is) underway to ensure that the airline emerges stronger out of these events in its otherwise pristine record of 19 plus years of operations”.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain Smriti Mandhana (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru maintained their winning streak in the Women’s Premier League, claiming an eighth-wicket triumph over Delhi Capitals on Saturday, with skipper Smriti Mandhana starring with an elegant half-century. This marked RCB’s fourth successive win, keeping them firmly atop the five-team standings, while Delhi remain at the bottom with three losses in four matches. Sent in to bat, Delhi Capitals endured a rocky start, losing Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt in the very first over. The slide continued as Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, and Minnu Mani failed to make an impact, leaving DC reeling at 74 for 6 after just 8.1 overs. Amidst the collapse, explosive opener Shafali Verma played a counter-attacking innings, scoring a superb 62 off 41 balls, including five fours and four sixes. She anchored her side with vital partnerships of 59 runs with Niki Prasad and another 34 with Sneh Rana (22), keeping DC’s innings alive. Towards the end, debutant Lucy Hamilton added momentum with a quickfire 36 off 19 deliveries. Despite Shafali’s heroics, DC were restricted to 166 all out.

Chasing the target, RCB stumbled early as Grace Harris fell in the third over. Mandhana, however, took charge with a commanding 96 off 61 balls, striking 13 boundaries and three sixes. She was ably supported by Georgia Voll, who scored a patient 54 not out off 42 balls with five fours and two sixes. The duo stitched together a 142-run partnership for the second wicket, steering RCB home in 18.2 overs with 10 balls to spare. Mandhana fell just short of her century, brilliantly caught by debutant Lucy Hamilton off Nandani Sharma, but the outcome was never in doubt. RCB’s victory highlighted Mandhana’s masterclass and the duo’s composure at the crease, showcasing why they remain at the summit of the WPL standings.

Mumbai: Sahar police have unearthed a surrogacy racket in which unmarried women were sent abroad from Mumbai with fake marriage documents to donate eggs in foreign countries.As Indian laws specify that only married women can donate eggs, and that too for altruistic reasons, the police detained an unmarried Thane resident who donated eggs multiple times in various countries (including at an IVF clinic in Andheri) for money. The agent, a Kalyan resident who organised these visits and deals, was also arrested.The racket was unearthed on Friday when these women arrived from Bangkok and were unable to provide satisfactory answers to the immigration officials at Mumbai International Airport. During questioning, it emerged they were associated with an in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) centre registered in Thane. The police were searching for a third woman, reportedly an agent.The immigration officials first stopped Sunoti Belel (44) around 1.30pm on Friday. Thirty minutes later, Thane’s Seema Vinzarat (29) arrived at the same counter from Bangkok. Officials questioned both and learned that Vinzarat accompanied Belel to Bangkok for advanced diagnostic tests needed before an egg donation and was paid a “big sum”.“Belel operates along with her accomplice, Sangita Bagul. They established an IVF centre in Thane in 2024 and arranged fake marriage documents to avoid legal hurdles when an egg donor flew,” said a Sahar police officer.Belel established an agency named ‘Elite Care’ in Thane with Bagul. “Through this agency, they supply ‘egg donors’ and ‘surrogate mothers’ to fertility centres in India and abroad,” according to the police.Under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021, it is mandatory for a woman to be married and have at least 1 child of her own to donate eggs in India. The Act also bans commercial surrogacy and only permits altruistic surrogacy, in which the surrogate receives no payment beyond medical expenses and insurance.In the complaint, immigration officer Vaibhav Bhosale said that he got suspicious when he asked Belel for her purpose in travelling to Bangkok. “She did not give satisfactory answers,” he said, referring her to the wing in-charge for further questioning. Later, Vinzarat also arrived from Bangkok. “She too failed to give a satisfactory answer,” he added.Further questioning revealed Belel took Vinzarat to Bangkok for tests before egg donation. “Vinzarat said she came in contact with Bagul in 2022. Through this agent, she sold her eggs at an Andheri hospital in 2023. She went to Myra Clinic, Kenya, in 2024, Miracle Clinic in Kazakhstan in Feb 2025, and Takara Clinic in Thailand in Jan to sell her eggs,” said Bhosale in the FIR. However, she was unable to sell her eggs on the last visit due to medical reasons.The team seized data from the accused’s gadgets at their Thane office and was checking for other women sent abroad on fake marriage certificates.

NEW DELHI: England U-19 began their ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 campaign with a convincing yet dramatic 37-run victory over Pakistan in the seventh match of the tournament, played in Harare on Friday. While the margin suggested comfort, the contest was anything but straightforward, ending in a bizarre moment that quickly became one of the talking points of the competition.Asked to bat first, England were bowled out for 210 in 46.5 overs after Pakistan’s disciplined bowling effort kept them in check for most of the innings. Middle-order batter Caleb Falconer anchored the English innings with a composed 66 off 73 balls, striking three boundaries and two sixes at crucial moments. Pakistan’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Ahmed Hussain leading the attack with figures of 3 for 38, while Ali Raza (2/36), Abdul Subhan (2/24) and Momin Qamar (2/45) also impressed.

In reply, Pakistan’s chase showed promise early on, largely due to captain Farhan Yousaf’s calm and responsible knock. Yousaf top-scored with a gritty 65, steadying the innings as wickets fell around him and keeping Pakistan within reach of the target of 211. However, once the skipper was dismissed in the 41st over, the momentum shifted firmly in England’s favour.The pressure intensified on the lower order, with the final pair of Momin Qamar and Ali Raza attempting to prolong the contest. Pakistan were 173 for 9 when the match took an extraordinary turn in the 47th over. In a moment of poor awareness, Raza wandered out of his crease without attempting a run, allowing England captain and wicketkeeper Thomas Rew to react sharply and break the stumps.Replays confirmed Raza was short of his ground, sealing Pakistan’s fate in a dismissal many described as comical. England’s bowlers eventually dismissed Pakistan for 173 in 46.3 overs, sealing a memorable win. England will next face Zimbabwe on January 18, while Pakistan aim to regroup against Scotland on January 19.

NEW DELHI: Alleging intimidation, coercion and unprecedented political pressure, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a scathing attack against the Mahayuti over the BMC elections, calling the January 15 civic polls a “strange” contest fought as a matter of political survival by his opponents.Addressing a press conference, Thackeray alleged that the ruling alliance left no method unused to secure a victory. “This election was very strange. It felt like this was a life-and-death election for them. They opted for all methods, from cash to kidnapping our candidates; they forced candidates to withdraw their nominations,” he said.

The UBT president also raised questions over the voting process and claimed he had received several complaints from citizens about their names missing from the voter lists. He said the results at many locations were “surprising” and did not match ground-level expectations. “Where did those numbers come from? Was it from some party office? Before counting numbers were seen on TV. In future, there will be no EVM, and the direct results will be declared. I have received several complaints from voters that their names were missing from the voter list. At various locations, the results are surprising. I had doubts about the exit polls,” said Thackeray.Despite the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena clinching a majority, Thackeray said the outcome reflected the resilience of Shiv Sena (UBT) on the ground. Thanking voters who stood firm despite alleged attempts to intimidate them, he said, “Voters are the saviours of democracy,” and added that those who were not scared showed that the “strength of Shiv Sena UBT” remains intact.Thackeray expressed deep gratitude to citizens who backed the Shiv Shakti Alliance, a first-time collaboration between his faction of the Shiv Sena and his cousin Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). He also apologised for not being able to campaign in all areas. “Yesterday, election results were announced. I could not visit many locations to campaign, but we got a good response at several places. I would at first apologise to voters where I was unable to reach. I thank those who voted for Shiv Shakti Alliance (with MNS),” he said.“The wish to have our Mayor wasn’t fulfilled, but the results have definitely shown the strength of Shiv Sena UBT,” Thackeray added.The 2026 BMC elections marked a historic political shift, ending nearly three decades of Thackeray family dominance over India’s richest civic body. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance crossed the halfway mark with 118 seats.Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 65 seats, polling 7,17,736 votes, which accounted for 13.13 per cent of the total votes cast. The MNS won six seats with 74,946 votes and a 1.37 per cent vote share. The Indian National Congress secured 24 seats, polling 2,42,646 votes, or 4.44 per cent of the vote share.Meanwhile, following the Mahayuti’s victory, political activity has intensified in Mumbai. Sources said the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has moved its newly elected corporators to a hotel in Bandra amid power negotiations. The party is also likely to demand the Mayor’s post in the BMC, reportedly as part of celebrations marking the centenary year of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, whose 100th birth anniversary falls on January 23.

The India vs New Zealand ODI series has set up a thrilling finale as the contest stands evenly poised at 1-1 after the first two matches.

With both sides claiming one victory apiece, all eyes now turn to the third and decisive ODI, scheduled to be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18. The winner of this match will walk away with the series, adding extra intensity to an already high-stakes encounter.

IND vs NZ 3rd ODI: Probable Playing XI

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zak Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox

Holkar Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The surface at Indore’s Holkar Cricket Stadium heavily favours the batters and generally produces high-scoring encounters. Widely regarded as one of the best batting wickets in India, the pitch is flat and true, allowing the ball to come onto the bat cleanly. This enables batters to play through the line with confidence and time their strokes freely, making run-scoring relatively straightforward, especially once the innings settles.

Fast bowlers may find a hint of movement with the new ball during the early overs, but this assistance is short-lived. As the game progresses, the surface tends to settle further, becoming even more batter-friendly and offering very little help to bowlers. Spinners, too, often struggle to extract turn or grip from the wicket.

Adding to the challenge for the bowlers are the short boundaries and quick outfield at this venue, which regularly result in a steady flow of fours and sixes. Dew is another major factor, particularly in the second innings, making it harder for bowlers to grip the ball and control their lengths. As a result, teams winning the toss usually prefer to bowl first, knowing that chasing targets under lights is generally the easier option.

Also READ: BCCI announces replacements of Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma for the T20I series against New Zealand

Holkar Cricket Stadium Stats and Records

• Total matches: 12
• Matches won batting first: 7
• Matches won bowling first: 5
• Average 1st innings score: 292
• Average 2nd innings score: 243
• Highest total recorded: 418/5 (50 Overs) by India vs West Indies
• Lowest total recorded: 97/10 (24 Overs) by South Africa Women vs Australia Women
• Highest score chased: 294/5 (47.5 Overs) by India vs Australia
• Lowest score defended: 247/9 (50 Overs) by India vs South Africa

Also READ: ‘Any team will play these four’ – Ravichandran Ashwin picks India’s best bowling attack for the T20 World Cup 2026

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