National e-commerce to be announced soon

The proposed national e-commerce policy being formulated by the commerce and industry ministry is in the final stages. Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that it is expected to be announced very soon. In August, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) held a detailed discussion with representatives of e-commerce firms and a domestic traders' body on the proposed policy.

"It is at the final stages of discussion at the highest level in the government. We hope to come out very soon," the Commerce and Industry Minister told reporters when asked about the policy.

Before this, the ministry came up with two draft national e-commerce policies.

The previous draft of 2019 proposed to address six broad areas of the e-commerce ecosystem which includes data, infrastructure development, e-commerce marketplaces, regulatory issues, stimulating domestic digital economy and export promotion through e-commerce.

The trader’s body of India, CAIT has repeatedly demanded the roll out of the policy as they alleged that foreign online retailers violate norms of the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in commerce and the government should take action against those who are indulging in malpractices.

The DPIIT is also working on a national retail trade policy.