By Erick Welcome to 2026! Tech India has more to look forward to this year – more indigenous tech, more make in India, more IPOs, and maybe more regulation. Anyway, this post is about the first weekly tech news roundup of the year. It starts on a sombre note though, with a certain CEO thinking he can still say whatever he wants and everyone will just believe him.
From quick commerce deliveries, gig worker rights, and government actions this week. The first week of 2026 has set an eventful tone for the year to come.
Quick Commerce Platforms Claim Record New Year’s Eve Orders Despite Strike Calls
Quick commerce companies claimed record deliveries on New Year’s Eve despite calls for strikes by gig workers. Eternal (Zomato’s parent) CEO Deepinder Goyal stated that operations remained normal across platforms like Blinkit and Swiggy. Goyal attributed the protests to a “small number of miscreants,” though this claim has been contested by gig worker unions. Also, how dare he.
Most users across cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Noida reported minimal disruptions, with deliveries arriving within standard timeframes.
Still, the fact that this person had the nerve to call gig workers on strike a small number of miscreants makes me angry and should make you too. Gig workers are striking and unionizing to fight for their rights, for basic dignity. And this CEO thinks he can just smile and talk some shark tank BS and get away with it.
Goyal went crazy too on X over the last two days, trying very hard to convince all of us that Gig workers are not overworked, being paid fairly and having the time of their lives. Go check his twitter / X.
First of all, Goyal himself has a track record of faffing – coming up with some Harvard-MBA language to make us all think we should believe whatever he says. And he has a zero track record of actually creating value. Go and check Zomato’s financial statements and over the last five years how many of them are loss-making years. Even after they went public in mid-2021 raising some 9,000 crore.
On this fight, some Goyal fanboys (I hope you’re not one of them) attacked MP Raghav Chadha for inviting a Zomato partner for lunch and revealing his measly earnings from this platform. I will not blindly defend any MP, I’ll just leave this here:
Centre Proposes 90-Day Rule For Gig Workers’ Social Security Benefits
Irrespective of Goyal’s shenanigans, the government released draft rules that will make gig workers eligible for social security benefits after working 90 days with a single aggregator. Workers can also qualify by completing 120 days across multiple platforms during the previous financial year. The new rules extend protections including minimum wages, health benefits, and occupational safety measures to platform workers. This move comes as gig workers across India have intensified their demands for better working conditions and benefits.
This is a follow-up to the labour codes released earlier this year, especially relevant is the code 2020 that is to do with social security (see last week’s TWITI). Sadly that code hasn’t been fully implemented yet, and unless Goyal is taken to task properly he will lobby to literally get away with murder.
Gosh, I’ve been so angry after reading what Goyal is trying to say. I need to calm down. Let’s move on for now.
Rediff Plans India’s First Purely Indian-Owned UPI Payment App
Do you remember Rediff? You’d be forgiven for thinking that Rediff is dead. And for those younger people who don’t realize the nostalgia that older internet users in India (like me) brings – Rediff was the first email service providers for many of us growing up in the 90s. I had a rediffmail before I got a hotmail, yahoo or gmail (in that order).
Rediff which was founded in 1996 is still very much alive and kicking – and in fact is a reasonable media house. But they want your money in different ways apparently.
Rediff.com India received final approval from NPCI for its Third-Party Application Provider license to launch RediffPay. The company has commenced Closed User Group testing before entering the UPI ecosystem. RediffPay will offer standard UPI features plus financial wellness products like mutual funds, fixed deposits, and credit line access. Axis Bank will serve as the Payment System Provider bank for the platform.
By the way, rediffmail is still a service – even to enterprises. Maybe that’s why rediff wants to enter the UPI scene.
Groww Launches Backup Trading Portal For Uninterrupted Access
Stock broking platform Groww introduced Groww Lite, a web-based emergency trading portal. The backup platform operates on separate DNS infrastructure to remain functional during main platform outages. It bypasses Cloudflare and standard routing layers to remove external dependencies. The portal is designed specifically for emergency trade execution during critical market hours.
I guess it’s cool having a backup platform. But it reads as less secure – especially having to bypass cloud flare and standard routing layers to remove external dependencies. Still, I guess it will be useful to some people.
PM Modi To Inaugurate India AI Impact Summit In February 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the India AI Impact Summit scheduled from February 15-20, 2026 in Delhi. The event aims to bring together global heads of state and tech CEOs from Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Adobe, Salesforce, and Qualcomm. The summit aims to bridge the global AI divide through indigenous solutions and AI for Good initiatives. Seven working groups will present outcomes demonstrating AI’s impact on three pillars – people, planet, and progress.
Government Approves INR 41,863 Crore For Electronics Manufacturing
The Centre cleared 22 projects under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for electronics components. The approvals will attract investments worth approximately INR 41,863 crore across various electronic components. Selected projects cover printed circuit boards, passive components, display modules, and camera modules. This scheme complements earlier programs focused on finished goods like mobile phones and IT hardware. This announcement said nothing about AI and I’m glad.
The approved proposals include those from the likes of Samsung, Foxconn, Dixon, Hindalco, Tata Electronics, Motherson and Vital Electronics.
Cabinet Clears Relief Package For Vodafone Idea Amid GST Penalty
The Union Cabinet approved a relief package for Vodafone Idea, freezing its Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues at INR 87,695 crore. The company will begin repayments from 2031-32, with full clearance by 2040-41. However, Vodafone Idea was almost simultaneously hit with a GST penalty order worth INR 638 crore. The company has disputed this order and plans to take legal action.
Government Issues 72-Hour Ultimatum To xAI Over Grok Content
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology gave X Corp 72 hours to prevent Grok AI from generating obscene and sexually explicit content. The notice cited violations of the IT Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and POCSO Act. Grok acknowledged creating sexualized images of minors, violating its own acceptable use policy. The ministry demanded comprehensive technical review and removal of all violating content.
While technically possible, I doubt X Corp will fully comply with the order. Not in 72 hours atleast. Grok’s success is built on creating a “spicy” companion that will flirt with you – sometimes explicitly. And you can make Taylor Swift nudes and whatever. Don’t try it out, if any celebrity needs to take action Grok will get away but you will get into trouble.
ED Freezes INR 192 Crore Assets Linked To Gaming Startup WinZO
The Enforcement Directorate froze assets worth INR 192 crore belonging to WinZO in a money laundering investigation. The agency conducted search operations at WinZO’s accounting firm premises on December 30. Frozen assets include bank balances, fixed deposits, and mutual fund investments held by ZO Games, WinZO’s fully-owned subsidiary. This follows the November arrest of WinZO co-founders on money laundering charges.
I think we should all acknowledge however that since the real money game ban and unlike other platforms, WinZO did not engage in mass layoffs. They are trying to pivot hard into other non-gambling avenues like sports AI.
Flipkart Exits Flying Machine Parent In INR 135 Crore Deal
Ecommerce major Flipkart will sell its entire 31.25% stake in Flying Machine’s parent company to Arvind Fashion for INR 135 crore. Once completed, Arvind Youth Brands will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arvind Fashion. Flipkart had invested INR 260 crore in Flying Machine in 2020. Flying Machine will continue to be available on Flipkart and other digital platforms despite the ownership change.
First of all, Flipkart (or Amazon or any e-commerce platform) should not ever be allowed to buy a stake in any consumer brand. It is a clear conflict of interest, one I hope they disclosed on their website at the very least. And Amazon is worse – it has an entire sub-brand called Amazon Basics which offers common every use items at cheaper prices. Regulation needs to step up here.
Ola Electric Receives Government Certification For 4680 Bharat Cell
Ola Electric secured government certification for its Roadster X+ powered by the in-house developed 4680 Bharat Cell battery pack. The certification was granted under Central Motor Vehicle Rules by ICAT Manesar. This marks a major milestone in Ola Electric’s journey toward building end-to-end EV technology in India. The Roadster X+ features a 9.1 kWh battery capacity using the indigenous cell technology.
That’s it for this week. Quick commerce platforms continue their explosive growth and reaching bubble-bursting proportions. The government is stepping up both support through schemes like PLI and oversight through stricter content regulations. The gig worker social security rules signal a major shift in how platform workers will be treated, potentially setting new standards for the digital economy.
With the AI summit on the horizon, India is positioning itself as a key player in shaping global technology policy while strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities.
That’s it for now, see you next week! Don’t forget you can watch TWITI episodes on by YouTube channel and also listen to them on my podcast.
[…] is directly a result of the gig worker strike that took place on December 25 and December 31 (see TWITI #1 of 2026). Worker unions had accused platforms of pushing unsafe delivery models and lowering […]