Zomato launches grocery delivery services in over 80 cities to ensure supply of essentials during coronavirus lockdown

Zomato has started grocery delivery services in over 80 cities in India in an attempt to ensure last-mile delivery of essentials during the coronavirus lockdown. [caption id=“attachment_8241301” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Zomato has launched grocery delivery supply in over 80 Indian cities. Getty Images[/caption] Zomato founder and CEO, Deepinder Goyal, said in a company blog, “We have started grocery delivery in 80+ cities across India to help with the supply of essentials. Our delivery network in the country is only second to India Post, and we are putting in every effort to make sure that we put it to good use to serve the community.” “We’d like to thank the government authorities, grocery stores, FMCG companies  and other start-ups that have come forward to partner with us and support the community in this endeavour,” the company said. Users can avail of this feature by going through the Zomato Market section visible on the homescreen of the app. The company has also taken some other initiatives in view of the prevailing situation due to the coronavirus outbreak. It has extended all paid Zomato Gold memberships by two months at zero cost. This scheme is applicable across India, UAE, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Lebanon, Turkey, New Zealand, Portugal and Qatar. Last month, the company launched contactless delivery to ensure delivery of safe, hygienic food to its customers. Zomato has also taken various other measures to support the government in its fight against the epidemic. It started the “ Feed the Daily Wager” initiative through which it is distributing ration kits to daily wager communities. The company has also come up with Zomato Gold Support Fund to help the restaurant industry get back on its feet. Under this plan, all revenue from the Zomato Gold subscriptions in April would go into this fund. Zomato says, “All proceeds to the fund will go towards restaurant housekeepers, cooks and servers in these uncertain times. Recipients of these funds will not be required to pay us back.”