App-based delivery men highlight India's growing gig economy
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Order of the day
The 26-year-old is one of hundreds of thousands of young Indians who, armed with their smartphones and motorcycles, courier dinners to offices and homes ordered at the swipe of a finger.
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Waiting on
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A stopgap arrangement
"(These delivery workers) are treated as independent contractors so labour laws governing employees are not applicable and they lack job security," Gautam Ghosh, a human resources consultant, said.
"While jobs created by food delivery apps are crucial, they may not exist in 10 years so for the majority of youngsters they are a stopgap arrangement," he added.
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Keeping things in order
The video, apparently shot on a mobile phone, showed the man taking bites from several food parcels before wrapping them again. It sparked anger online and he was promptly sacked.
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'A challenging job'
"It is a challenging job," said Nachre, expressing sympathy for the unnamed delivery man who was working in the southern city of Madurai before being fired.
"We work 12 hours straight in soaring heat and heavy rains. Sometimes I don't even have time to eat," he added.
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Rush hour
"We're always in a rush to deliver and customers keep calling us. We know we have to be on our toes all the time or customers might complain and we may lose our jobs," Nachre said.
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'Lucrative job'
Their importance to the likes of Nachre was highlighted recently when a leaked government report said India's unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in 2017-18, the highest since the 1970s.
"This job is lucrative," said Nachre, who has no post-school qualifications and earns a minimum of 18,000 rupees ($253) a month.
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Expanding industry
The app-based food delivery industry is worth an estimated $7 billion to Asia's third-largest economy, according to market research firm Statista, and is expanding rapidly.
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Food on demand
That put the valuation of the five-year-old company, headquartered in Bangalore, at more than $3 billion.
Zomato, Swiggy's nearest challenger for market dominance, is being aggressively backed by Alibaba's Ant Financial. The Chinese giant recently pumped in $210 million, valuing the Delhi-based startup at $2 billion.
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Deliver from unemployment
Informal, casual labour has long been the bedrock of India's economy but now Indians can access a host of services on their phones from hiring a rickshaw to booking a plumber or yoga teacher.
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Potential of India's gig economy
Analysts say it is time the government started to regulate the sector.
"There is no regulator overlooking this sector. Working conditions definitely need to get better for these workers," Anurag Mahur, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers said.
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Looking for job security
With millions of youngsters entering India's workforce every year and looking for a job, Khandagale would relish a long-term contract that offered him some security.
"I hope to stay in this job. It pays well and my family depend on me," he said.
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