BluSmart drivers protest over unpaid dues, demand jobs after shutdown
BluSmart drivers in Delhi-NCR are protesting after the EV ride-hailing platform abruptly ceased operations, leaving them without pay or explanation. Over 10,000 drivers across multiple cities are affected, with many facing financial hardship. The protests follow allegations against BluSmart's cofounders and highlight the lack of legal protection for gig workers.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Popular in TechMore ≫
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Hundreds of BluSmart driver partners have begun protests across Delhi-NCR, demanding compensation and alternative employment, weeks after the EV ride-hailing platform abruptly halted operations The drivers — many of whom describe BluSmart as the best platform they've worked with — said they were left in the lurch with no formal communication from the company and no clarity on pending payments. Over 10,000 drivers across Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai are estimated to be affected.'We made BluSmart what it is. Why are we the ones left to suffer?' said Sanjay Sagar, who has been with the platform since 2022. 'We were not at fault.'The protests come after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) barred BluSmart cofounders Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi from accessing the securities markets and holding board positions over allegations of fund siphoning and document forgery in their solar EPC firm, Gensol Engineering — which is closely linked to BluSmart.Driver partners said they were earlier paid weekly, with a structure that provided Rs 8,000 if their weekly earnings exceeded Rs 20,000, plus additional incentives based on customer ratings. However, incentives reportedly declined in recent months, with some drivers alleging the money was diverted for personal use by the founders.Several drivers told ETtech that their last payments were delayed or not received at all. 'We got a message saying the cars were being held at hubs for an audit. Since then, nothing,' said Tarisha Kumar, a 21-year-old driver from Delhi. 'Other platforms don't even onboard women drivers easily.'BluSmart had over 300 women drivers in the capital, many of whom are now struggling to find new jobs. 'It's easier for male drivers, but women — especially single mothers — are left behind,' Kumar added.Some of BluSmart's vehicles were reportedly seized by banks or acquired by rival electric cab players such as Evera.Gig Workers Association's organising secretary, Nitesh Kumar Das, said the company abandoned drivers without compensation. 'This is unjust. These people built the company with their labour. There must be a law to prevent such exploitation.'Many driver partners are now facing acute financial stress, especially those who were sole breadwinners. One Gurgaon-based driver said he is struggling to pay school fees for his daughter, with no job in hand and no clarity on future prospects.BluSmart has not issued any official statement since halting operations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
26 minutes ago
- News18
Stocks To Watch: HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, Ambuja, And Others
Last Updated: Stocks to watch: Shares of firms like HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, Ambuja, and others will be in focus on Monday's trade Stocks to Watch on June 9, 2025: Markets wrapped up the week on a positive note, gaining nearly a percent, supported by favorable domestic cues. In today's trade, shares of HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, and MCX, among others, will be in focus due to various news developments. The capital markets regulator, SEBI, issued a corrigendum to its interim order in the insider trading case involving IndusInd Bank. Ambuja Cements In its latest annual report, Adani Group's Ambuja Cements highlighted that it contributes nearly 30% of the cement used for India's homes and infrastructure, making it the country's second-largest cement producer. Airtel Telecom operator Airtel has approached over 40 banks, as well as the RBI and NPCI, proposing a collaborative effort to curb digital frauds. The company aims to establish a unified front for sharing intelligence on known fraudulent financial domains. Reliance Infrastructure plans to 'turbocharge' its defense vertical in the coming years, focusing on aircraft upgrade programs. The company recently became the first private sector firm to independently execute a comprehensive aircraft upgrade program, traditionally dominated by public sector units and OEMs. It's targeting opportunities worth Rs 5,000 crore over the next seven to ten years. HDFC Bank's MD and CEO, Sashidhar Jagdishan, has been named in a complaint filed by the Mehta Family through Lilavati Kirtilal Medical Trust. The complaint alleges he received Rs 2.05 crore to harass a current trustee's father. HDFC Bank has dismissed the allegations as baseless and part of an attempt to derail loan recovery efforts. The Government has appointed Sat Pal Bhanoo as the CEO and MD of LIC for a three-month term starting Sunday. This comes after Siddhartha Mohanty completed his tenure, with the Ministry of Finance conveying the instructions on Saturday. Infosys Infosys announced that the Director General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has closed pre-show cause notice proceedings against the company for FY 2018-19 to FY 2021-22, involving Rs 32,403 crore in GST claims. Tata Steel Tata Steel UK's annual £150 million export to the US faces a potential setback due to compliance issues in the UK-US steel trade agreement. The company has temporarily halted melting and pouring steel in the UK as it transitions Port Talbot from blast furnaces to an electric arc furnace, a requirement for tariff-free trade under current rules. Aditya Birla Group Aditya Birla Group's Indian paints venture has filed an antitrust complaint against Asian Paints for allegedly abusing its market dominance, according to Reuters. The complaint could trigger a legal clash between the two sector rivals. Suzlon Energy Promoters of Suzlon Energy may sell about 20 crore shares in a potential Rs 1,300 crore block deal next week, likely at a 2% discount to the current market price. This update comes after Suzlon reported a nearly five-fold jump in net profit in Q4FY25. Lupin Lupin has received tentative approval from the US FDA for its generic version of Oxcarbazepine Extended-Release (ER) Tablets in 150 mg, 300 mg, and 600 mg strengths. The drug, equivalent to Supernus Pharmaceuticals' Oxtellar XR, will be manufactured at Lupin's Nagpur facility in India. Nazara Technologies Nazara Technologies has completed the acquisition of gaming and entertainment company Smaaash Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. for Rs 126 crore, turning it into a wholly owned subsidiary, the company announced on June 6. Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 09, 2025, 07:40 IST News business » markets Stocks To Watch: HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, Ambuja, And Others
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
28 minutes ago
- First Post
Best phones under Rs 40,000 (June 2025): Realme GT 7, Xiaomi 14 CIVI to iQOO Neo 10
A budget of Rs 40,000 can fetch you some excellent smartphones in India. You can even score top variants of certain phones with 512 GB storage comfortably in this budget. These phones offer excellent all-round performance and features. Once again, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip dominates this segment, but this time, one can get even more powerful processors in this segment. Time to look at your best options under 40K at the moment STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Best phones to buy under Rs 40,000 in India Realme GT 7 / Realme GT 6 The newly launched Realme GT 7 is a great option in this budget. Supposedly the first phone in India to be powered by a Dimensity 9400e SoC, this handset has some serious processing muscle. You can get its 8 GB LPDDR5X RAM variant with 256 GB UFS 4.0 internal storage under 40K. With the right credit cards, you can even get its 12 GB RAM variant in this budget. It has IP69 rated ingress protection, which makes it more than rain-proof. Realme GT7 The phone features a 6.78-inch 1.5K 10-bit LTPO AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 6000 nits of peak brightness. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant display is protected against scratches by a layer of ArmorShell glass. The rear camera department features two 50MP cameras with the primary module sporting Sony's IMX 906 sensor and OIS, while the other is a telephoto unit that offers 2X optical zoom. You also have an 8MP ultra-wide camera to complete the pack. In addition, there's a 32MP front camera to appeal to the selfie enthusiasts. A massive 7000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over two days of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger promises to juice up half of it in less than 15 minutes. The Realme GT 7 runs Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0, with the company promising four major OS updates going ahead. Realme GT 6 Now, while the GT 7 is a solid buy, you can also consider its predecessor, the Realme GT 6, in this budget, with a 'relatively' less powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC and with most of the features similar to its successor. Even better, you can get double the RAM and storage and save a few thousand Rupees too. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Realme GT 7 price in India: Rs 36,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Realme GT 6 price in India: Rs 36,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage Honor 200 Pro 5G The Honor 200 Pro 5G is arguably the best camera phone in this budget, and it looks good too. This phone has an attractive glass design and comes with IP65-rated ingress protection. It sports a 6.78-inch 10-bit OLED HDR display with higher than Full HD resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and 4000 nits peak brightness. This phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal storage. It launched with MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14 with more updates expected going ahead. Honor 200 Pro 5G The photography department is one of its key selling points. It flaunts three cameras at the back starting with a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide snapper with auto-focus and a 50MP telephoto camera with OIS that provides 2.5X optical zoom. And if that wasn't enough, you also get a 50MP + 2MP selfie camera combo up front to thrill the selfie crowd with some quality portrait shots. The Honor 200 Pro 5G has a 5200 mAh battery that keeps it going for a day and a half of moderate use and supports 100W fast charging as well as 66W fast wireless charging. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Honor 200 Pro 5G price in India: Rs 35,998 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage Xiaomi 14 CIVI The Xiaomi 14 CIVI is another phone powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, and you can now get its 12 GB RAM and 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage variant in this budget. You can get a further Rs 4,000 discount using credit cards from various banks. It has a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2750 x 1236 pixels. The screen is HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant, with a peak brightness of 3000 nits and support for up to 68 billion colour shades. It is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Xiaomi 14 CIVI The cameras on this phone have been designed in collaboration with Leica. You get three modules at the back comprising a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with 120-degrees FOV and a 50MP telephoto camera that provides a modest 2X optical zoom. This phone targets the selfie enthusiasts with two 32MP front cameras that are quite good at solo as well as group selfies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The phone's 4700 mAh battery lasts well over a day of moderate use, and the bundled 67W fast charger promises to juice it up fully in less than 45 minutes. The Xiaomi 14 CIVI launched with Android 14 and the company's HyperOS UI. One can expect a few more OS and security updates for this device. Xiaomi 14 CIVI price in India: Rs 38,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage iQOO Neo 10 We now move on to something even more powerful. The iQOO Neo 10 is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC with 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.1 internal storage. It is a great option for gamers as it claims to support 144 FPS in gaming and has a large vapour chamber cooling to keep things comfortable during the long gaming hours. The phone hosts a huge 7000 mAh battery that can power extended gaming sessions and last over two days of moderate use. A 120W fast charger is bundled along that claims to recharge half of it in just 19 minutes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD iQOO Neo 10 The iQOO Neo 10 has a 6.78-inch 10-bit OLED HDR display with 1.5K resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate and 5500 nits peak brightness. Photography is handled by two rear cameras comprising a 50MP primary camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide snapper. You also get a 32MP front camera for selfies and video calls. The phone runs Android 15 with the company committing to 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates for the device. The phone has IP65-rated ingress protection. Pro Tip: With the right credit cards, you can even get its 16 GB RAM + 512 GB storage variant under 40K. iQOO Neo 10 price in India: Rs 35,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Mint
29 minutes ago
- Mint
Stocks to watch: HDFC Bank, BEL, L&T, MCX, Bharti Airtel among shares in focus today
HDFC Bank plans to take legal action following accusations from the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical (LKMM) Trust, which has urged financial regulators to suspend and prosecute the bank's Managing Director and CEO, Sashidhar Jagdishan. According to reports, Suzlon Energy's promoters, the Tanti Family and Trust, are expected to sell 20 crore shares through a block deal on Monday. Adani Group's Ambuja Cements, India's second-largest cement manufacturer, supplies close to 30% of the cement used in the country's residential and infrastructure projects, according to its latest annual report. Tata Steel, a homegrown company, plans to begin construction of its low-carbon, electric arc furnace (EAF)-based steel production facility in the UK starting July 2025, with operations expected to launch by 2027. Infrastructure giant L&T has unveiled a ₹ 500 crore ESG bond offering, marking the first Indian corporate to issue such bonds under SEBI's newly launched framework for ESG and sustainability-linked bonds. Mahindra & Mahindra recorded a 17% year-on-year increase in total sales for May 2025, with volumes rising to 80,458 units from 69,011 units in the same month last year. Production also experienced a strong growth of 28%, reaching 89,626 units compared to 70,261 units in May 2024. However, exports fell by 27% year-on-year to 2,671 units, down from 3,652 units a year earlier. Birla Opus Paints, a subsidiary of the Birla Group, has lodged a complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), accusing Asian Paints, the market leader, of abusing its dominant position. Tata Electronics and Navratna company BEL have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly work on semiconductor and electronics solutions. This partnership aims to support India's self-reliance efforts in areas such as chip design, fabrication, OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test), and defence-grade electronic components. MCX has obtained approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to introduce electricity derivatives. Telecom operator Airtel has reached out to more than 40 banks, along with the RBI and NPCI, suggesting a close partnership and a unified effort to combat digital fraud, including the exchange of information on a repository of identified fraudulent financial domains. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
