Eternal Says It Will Pay No Heed To NDMA’s Heatwave Advisory For Gig Workers

Foodtech giant Eternal has said that it will pay no heed to the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) advisory that says gig platforms should suspend work between 11 AM and 4 PM during rain or heatwave-related IMD alerts.

“The 11 AM and 4 AM window is a peak period for food delivery, and mandating a shutdown during this time would significantly affect the earnings of both our restaurant and delivery partners. Given this, we have not enforced a platform-wide pause,” an Eternal spokesperson said.

Mint reported the development first.

Based on reports, a shutdown of services from 11 AM to 4 PM could possibly result in a 25-35% loss of daily orders, affecting restaurants, platforms and delivery partners.

The spokesperson further said, “Partners’ well-being is just as important to us as ensuring service availability. Our delivery partners operate as independent gig workers with complete flexibility to choose when they wish to work. There have never been penalties for opting out of specific time slots or extended periods, a core principle that defines our platform.”

Zomato parent has also been offering perks to help gig workers to continue their services without disruption, such as rest points at restaurants and dark stores, 24×7 SOS and insurance, summer protective gear including UV-protective jackets, neck and hand fans, caps and water-bottles at highly discounted prices and weather union to send preemptive alerts to partners on upcoming heatwaves or rain.

Additionally, to address the challenges faced by gig workers operating during risky hours, the company is offering higher pay and higher flexibility. “Given the extreme weather conditions during these months, April to June is when delivery partners earn the highest per-order payouts,” the spokesperson added.

With booming demand for quick food delivery, the company revealed that it is setting up a new wholly owned subsidiary, Blinkit Foods Limited, over a week ago, where it would engage in catering food services, including innovation, preparation, sourcing, sale and delivery of food to customers. 

On the financial front, Eternal’s consolidated net profit slid over 90% to INR 25 Cr in Q1 FY26 from INR 253 Cr in the year-ago quarter. However, its quarterly revenue surged over 70% to INR 7,167 Cr from INR 4,206 Cr in Q1 FY25.

The company’s stock soared to INR 311.60, touching a fresh 52-week high on July 22, despite its weak bottomline performance.

As of 02:20 PM, shares of Eternal were up 1.3% at INR 307.60 apiece on the BSE, compared to its last close of INR 303.60 per share yesterday.