Zomato, HDFC Pension introduce National Pension System model for delivery partners

Zomato and HDFC Pension have collaborated to introduce 'NPS Platform Workers Model' for delivery partners of the food delivery platform, in a bid to provide them access to formal retirement benefits.

The model was formally launched by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at an event organised by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) on October 1.

"More than 30,000 delivery partners onboarded on Zomato have already generated their PRANs (Permanent Retirement Account Numbers) within 72 hours of this integration and the platform is committed to enable over 1 lakh delivery partners with their NPS retirement accounts within 2025," Zomato said in a statement.

Zomato operates on a gig-first model, supporting an average of 5,09,000 independent monthly active delivery partners as of Q1 FY26.

According to a NITI Aayog report, the number of platform workers in India is estimated to grow to 23.5 million by FY 2029-30. Currently, there exists a gap in terms of awareness as well as access to formal retirement benefits for these workers. Due to this reason, the retirement savings rate among this specific section of the workforce is negligible.

The collaboration will enable independent gig workers onboarded on Zomato as delivery partners, to enjoy benefits such as long-term financial security in the form of a lump sum and a monthly pension at retirement, along with flexibilities such as making small, regular contributions.

In addition, with a long-term view, the model also provides delivery partners the option of portability, allowing them to carry their benefits forward as they progress in their careers.

Digital integration has been done to make the onboarding process smooth and hassle-free by using the existing KYC or eKYC of the gig workers, with their consent, at the PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Numbers) generation level, Zomato stated.

Additional details can be submitted by the gig workers subsequently.

Sriram Iyer – Managing Director & CEO, HDFC Pension, commented,"Not all individuals have access to formal retirement planning instruments. Through the 'NPS Platform Workers Model', such individuals can now start planning for their retirement. This model not only enables them to plan for their retirement but also contributes towards bringing a larger section of our population under the umbrella of long-term financial security".