Must Comply With Law Of The Land: Piyush Goyal On Blinkit’s Ambulance Foray

Blinkit Must Comply With Laws For Ambulance Service: Commerce Minister

SUMMARY

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal emphasised that Blinkit must comply with all legal requirements for its newly launched ambulance service

Blinkit launched the 10-minute ambulance service in Gurugram with five vehicles, with plans to expand to major cities in two years

The quick commerce platform has been expanding its presence across India, targeting 2,000 dark stores by FY26 end

Day after Zomato’s quick commerce arm Blinkit launched a 10-minute ambulance service, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal today (January 3) said that the company has to make sure that it complies with the law of the land.

“As regards Blinkit with ambulance service or medicines being delivered, my only submission would be that they have to make sure that they meet the law of the land, and whatever other legal requirements should be properly taken care of. No laws of the land should be broken,” Goyal said.

Back then, on the launch, Blinkit cofounder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa, in a post on X, said, “We are taking our first step towards solving the problem of providing quick and reliable ambulance service in our cities.”

The ambulance service is starting from Gurugram on Thursday (January 2) with five vehicles, and will be expanded to more areas soon, he added.

Each ambulance includes a paramedic, an assistant and a trained driver to ensure quality service delivery. The company plans to expand the emergency service to all major cities over the next two years.

The development marks Blinkit’s expansion beyond its core quick commerce business. The Zomato-owned company reported INR 1,156 Cr revenue in Q2 FY25, more than double from INR 505 Cr in the year-ago quarter, while narrowing its adjusted EBITDA loss to INR 8 Cr.

The concept of quick commerce gained significant traction in India during the Covid-19 pandemic, with several players entering the space to fulfill daily essential needs through doorstep delivery.

Blinkit has been steadily expanding its presence across India, most recently launching operations in Jammu with three stores located in Trikuta Nagar, Roop Nagar, and Akhnoor Road.

The quick commerce platform also went live in Kochi ahead of Onam and subsequently launched in Bathinda, Haridwar, and Vijayawada. With the growing demand for quick commerce services, Blinkit aims to set up 2,000 dark stores by the end of FY26, up from its current 791 stores across the country.