Hyderabad: The Telangana government and Zepto signed an MoU to establish five Hyderabad gig worker centres offering rest areas, drinking water, sanitation, health support and digital connectivity.
The centres, planned under Project PRAGATI, will serve gig workers across platforms rather than workers associated with a single company. Workers in quick commerce, food delivery, e-commerce, apparel and other last-mile delivery networks will be able to access the facilities.
The government and Zepto will jointly identify locations for the five centres across Hyderabad. Depending on their locations, each facility could receive hundreds of worker visits. The initiative sought to address gaps in basic urban infrastructure for gig workers who spent much of their working day on the road.
Hyderabad gig worker centres to address infrastructure gaps
A 2024 HeatWatch survey covered 166 gig and platform workers in Hyderabad. Its findings were subsequently examined in Economic & Political Weekly.
The survey found that nearly 69 per cent of workers surveyed lacked access to clean washrooms. Moreover, more than 80 per cent lacked shaded resting areas or cooling facilities while working.
Each Project PRAGATI centre will provide a safe, all-weather resting space and clean drinking water. Workers will also have access to clean washrooms, first-aid support, mobile charging points and WiFi.
In addition, the centres will periodically host health camps. They will also facilitate awareness about e-Shram registration among eligible gig and unorganised workers. Zepto will fund the centres and maintain them on an ongoing basis.
The company’s existing store network already provided delivery partners with drinking water, washrooms and resting spaces. It also offered charging and first-aid facilities. Project PRAGATI will extend a similar approach to the wider gig workforce through dedicated platform-agnostic centres.
Hyderabad gig worker centres open across platforms
Zepto Chief Operating Officer Vikas Sharma said India’s gig workforce was projected to increase substantially during the decade. “India’s gig workforce is projected to grow from 77 lakh workers in 2020–21 to 2.35 crore by 2029–30,” Sharma said.
He said infrastructure supporting workers also needed to evolve as the workforce expanded. Access to water, washrooms, rest areas and charging facilities were basic requirements for people working on the move, he added.
Sharma said Project PRAGATI would take the company’s approach beyond its own delivery ecosystem. The partnership with Telangana would create facilities accessible to workers from different platforms, he said.
Metropolitan Area and Urban Development Department Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said gig and platform workers had become increasingly important to Hyderabad’s urban economy.
“As the nature of work evolves, cities must also respond to the everyday infrastructure needs of people working on the move,” Ranjan said. He said Project PRAGATI would provide accessible spaces addressing practical needs regardless of the platform associated with individual workers. The government welcomed Zepto’s partnership in supporting Hyderabad’s wider gig-worker community, Ranjan added.
Zepto, founded in 2020 by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, operates a quick-commerce marketplace in India. Its sellers offer groceries, household electronics, beauty products, apparel, toys and other everyday essentials. The company also operates Zepto Café, its food offering featuring freshly prepared items through sellers on its app.