Newly appointed Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with representatives of associations of kirana stores, traders and retailers in New Delhi on Wednesday where the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) called for immediate rollout of the e-commerce policy and handed over a list of written suggestions.
CAIT, in its submission, stated that the e-commerce business in the country needs to be revamped.
It said that a regulatory authority should be constituted to regulate and monitor e-commerce businesses in India with adequate powers to penalise or take action against an entity that violates regulations under the policy.
CAIT, in its suggestions asked for restriction and conditions imposed on global e-commerce players to be made applicable on domestic e-commerce companies also, to maintain level playing field.
“Every e-commerce portal should obtain a Registration from the Authority before its operations. Any entity found conducting business without Registration should be strictly penalised. E-commerce portals working as Marketplace should mandatorily have an office in India. There should be a clear distinction between marketplace and inventory modal of e-commerce,” CAIT said in its suggestions.
It also suggested that no cash back be allowed by group companies of marketplace entities to buyers and also called for a ban on cash on delivery (COD) on supplies through e-commerce.
According to a statement from the commerce ministry, Goyal assured all small traders and retailers that the government will extend required support and assistance.
He reiterated that India will not allow multi-brand retail by foreign companies and on the pretext of B2B, no entry will be allowed for multi-brand retail. He also asserted that predatory pricing will not be allowed, and necessary action will be taken against defaulters.
Goyal requested the representatives of associations of kirana stores, traders and retailers to send all suggestions for the draft eCommerce policy in the next five days and that the e-commerce policy will be finalised only after taking into account every suggestion received by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).