NEW DELHI — Food ordering and delivery platform Zomato announced that the National Pension System (NPS) corpus built by delivery partners on its platform has crossed ₹1 crore. Enrolments under the scheme have surpassed 2 lakh Permanent Retirement Account Numbers (PRANs).
This milestone builds on the launch of the 'NPS Platform Workers Model' in October 2025. The initiative was introduced in collaboration with HDFC Pension, a corporate NPS Point of Presence and Pension Fund Manager, and enabled by Kfintech, the Central Recordkeeping Agency.
The NPS e-shramik model allows Zomato's delivery partners to build long-term financial security through regular contributions. The framework provides the flexibility for workers to retain and carry their benefits as they transition between different livelihoods. Onboarding is facilitated using existing KYC or eKYC with the delivery partners' consent at the PRAN generation stage.
Aditya Mangla, CEO of Zomato, stated that delivery partners form an integral part of the company's ecosystem. He noted that the initiative aims to support workers beyond daily earnings toward long-term financial security through small, regular contributions.
Sriram Iyer, MD and CEO of HDFC Pension, highlighted that the milestone reflects collective collaboration between the industry, regulator, and corporate sector for a specific customer cohort. The tri-party arrangement originated from Zomato's vision to provide retirement solutions for platform workers, supported by HDFC Pension's onboarding approach and approval from the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
Sumit Kumar, Chief General Manager at PFRDA, stated that the ₹1 crore contribution milestone indicates that gig workers are increasingly recognizing the importance of building long-term financial savings alongside immediate earnings. He emphasized that creating portable pathways to retirement is essential for making social security inclusive for dynamic workforces.
Zomato operates on a gig-first model, supporting an average of 6,38,000 independent monthly active delivery partners as of Q1 FY27. The company offers several support measures for its delivery network, including health insurance covering hospitalization, daycare, OPD, ICU, maternity care, and teleconsultations, alongside a personal accident cover of up to ₹10 lakh at no cost to partners. Additionally, the delivery partner app provides 24x7 SOS support across more than 850 cities and real-time visibility into earnings.
"The crossing of the ₹1 crore NPS contribution milestone by Zomato's delivery partners demonstrates a positive shift in how the gig economy addresses long-term financial security. By integrating structured retirement savings like the NPS into daily gig work, companies and regulators are creating accessible financial infrastructure for platform workers. This initiative sets a practical precedent for balancing operational flexibility with social security in India's evolving workforce." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes
