Heena Sharma Blog

  Swiggy , the on-demand delivery platform on Wednesday announced that it will vaccinate over 2,00,000 delivery partners against COVID-19 . This comes close on the heels of the Central government's announcement on the next phase of the nationwide vaccination commencing April 1, 2021, for individuals aged 45 and above, the company said in a statement. "In the first tranche of the programme, 5,500 of Swiggy's delivery partners, aged 45 and above will be eligible to opt-in for the vaccination. By the end of the program, Swiggy hopes to encourage 2,00,000 plus delivery partners with the choice to get vaccinated as they continue to provide an essential service. Swiggy is also requesting authorities for the prioritisation of delivery partners in the vaccine drive," the statement said. Read More

Food delivery platform Swiggy started on Thursday online processing and home delivery of alcohol in West Bengal after obtaining approvals from the state government. The company is offering the service in Kolkata and Siliguri, days after first launching delivery in Jharkhand and Odisha. In a statement, the company said it prioritises safe delivery and ensuring all guidelines are maintained including social distancing. Customers need to complete a one-time instant age verification by uploading a picture of government approved ID and a selfie for authentification. They can access the category under "Wine Shops" by updating their Swiggy app. Read More

Odisha has become the second state where online restaurant guide and food ordering platform Zomato will be deliver alcohol at home, starting with state capital Bhubaneswar. Zomato first started the servce in Jharkhand. Starting with Bhubaneswar, Zomato will soon expand to other cities in Odisha like Rourkela, Balasore, Balangir, Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Cuttack, Zomato said in a statement. "We're happy to be of service to our users in Odisha who can now use Zomato to get alcohol delivered in addition to grocery and food delivery," Zomato Vice President Rakesh Ranjan said. Read More

Foodtech giant Swiggy will lay off 1,100 employees citing business losses because of the lockdown to contain the coronavirus , two days after rival Zomato revealed plans to cut 13 per cent of its workforce. The company backed by China’s Tencent and Prosus NV has about 8,000 employees and it is reducing 13.75 per cent of its workforce. “We, unfortunately, have to part ways with 1100 of our employees spanning across grades and functions in the cities and head office over the next few days. This is easily the hardest and longest deliberated decision the management team and I have been faced with over recent times,” said Swiggy co-founder and CEO Sriharsha Majety in a blog post. “We have been fortunate to have some of the brightest missionary talent in the country join us over the last few years, and I would like to state unequivocally that this is not at all a reflection of anyone’s performance.” Read More

The government of Goa on Sunday issued a notice, whereby, it authorised Swiggy, Zomato and other home delivery platforms to operate and deliver food, groceries and other essential items at doorsteps during the lockdown due to COVID-19 . "ECommerce operators such as @swiggy_in, @ZomatoIN and other platforms have been permitted to deliver food and grocery items. #GoaFightsCOVID19 ," the Goa Chief Minister's Office tweeted today. Earlier, two more coronavirus positive cases were reported in Goa on Sunday taking the state's tally to five. A total of 1024 positive cases of COVID-19 have been found in India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday. 27 persons have lost their lives due to this disease in the country. Read More

Arif*, 28, shuffled uncomfortably in the driver’s seat of his Maruti Wagon R as he tackled the crowded streets of Lower Parel, Mumbai’s arterial business district, on a sultry April 2019 evening. A hit track from the recent Hindi movie Gully Boy played on the music system but it did nothing to drown out the noise outside or ease his discomfort. Arif had recently undergone an appendectomy and though the stitches had been removed, the wound was yet to heal completely. But rest was not an option. “If I stay at home, I won’t be able to earn anything,” he said, adding, “I have to take a break after each trip because it hurts.” Arif is among the 1.5 million drivers working for ride-hailing companies in the country, part of India’s emerging gig economy--a labour market characterised by short-term contracts or freelance work for drivers, delivery staff and so on. Employers include web- or mobile-application based cab services such as Uber and Ola, and food delivery applications such ...

Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy Tuesday said it has launched ' Swiggy Stores ' moving beyond its core food delivery segment to provide access to consumers items across multiple categories. The company will deliver from these stores "in categories such as fruits and vegetables, kiranas and supermarkets, florists, baby care, health and supplements among others," Swiggy said in a statement. With the launch of these stores, Swiggy wants to become the one-stop delivery app that enables access to every store in the city, it added. "Today's announcement takes Swiggy to categories beyond food, where we hope to deliver the same level of delightful experiences to consumers for their everyday needs," Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety said. It is the first milestone in Swiggy's vision to elevate the quality of life for the urban consumer by offering unparalleled convenience, he added. Swiggy Stores will give its merchant-partners unmatched a...

Food delivery services are taxed at 18% which the restaurants have to pay Companies News : Online food delivery service companies like Swiggy are facing the heat from restaurants after the goods and services tax (GST) on eating outlets was cut to five per cent, from 18 per cent in November, and input tax credit provision was withdrawn. Some restaurants have started charging higher prices on online food delivery platforms. Others are negotiating a commission cut with online food delivery partners to make up for the 3.5 per cent additional cost due to unavailability of the input tax credit (ITC) facility. Swiggy, Zomato and Foodpanda provide online delivery services to restaurants at a commission of around 20 per cent, which is levied an 18 per cent GST. Unlike earlier, restaurants can no longer claim ITC on the 18 per cent GST for the input services from these delivery platforms. “These online food delivery companies have represented for a rate reduction or to allow IT...