On New Year's Eve, India's food delivery and quick commerce platforms, including major players like Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto, reportedly disbursed over ₹100 crore collectively to their gig workers. This significant payout was attributed to record-high order volumes experienced during the festive period, marking one of the highest single-day totals for India's gig economy. However, this surge in business coincided with calls for a nationwide strike by various gig worker unions, including the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU). These unions organized protests, also following a Christmas strike, to highlight grievances such as declining wages, demanding working conditions, the pressure from 10-minute delivery targets, lack of social security benefits, and arbitrary account deactivations. Despite the strike calls, the overall disruption to services on New Year's Eve was reported as limited by many platforms and some news outlets. Companies proactively offered substantial incentives, bonuses, and surge payouts to delivery partners, ensuring a high availability of riders and smooth operations during peak demand. While unions claimed significant worker participation and delays in certain areas, particularly Bengaluru and Hyderabad, company insiders asserted that it was largely business as usual. Zomato's CEO Deepinder Goyal even credited local authorities for ensuring smooth operations amidst the strike calls. This event underscores the ongoing tension between the growing demands of India's gig economy and the persistent concerns over worker welfare and fair compensation.