The top two food delivery companies, Swiggy and Zomato will now deliver alcohol in some cities of India from today since there is a high demand for alcohol during lockdown.
India is one of the few countries that restricted the sale of liquor and tobacco during lockdown. When Government run wine shops and liquor stores opened earlier this month, hundreds of people queued up to buy Alcohol.
The companies will start service in Jharkhand starting with Ranchi, both the food companies said in separate statements.
Swiggy told the media that it in talks with multiple states to launch the service in ore locations. Both the food delivery startups also emphasized that allowing alcohol orders through smartphones will enable people to maintain social distancing and safety measures.
"By enabling home delivery of alcohol, we can generate additional business for retail outlets while solving the problem of overcrowding," said Anuj Rathi, vice president of products at Bengaluru-based Swiggy.
“The new service also comes as both Swiggy and Zomato face sharp declines in their core business, with restaurants remaining shut during the two-month lockdown, forcing the companies to cut hundreds of jobs to save cash,” Reuters cited in its report.
