The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has held a meeting with different stakeholders, including domestic and foreign companies, on the proposed e-commerce policy. Various participants called for a clear and exclusive definition of the e-commerce marketplace and distinction from web stores that are just electronic versions of retail stores in order to avoid any conflict of interest leading to discriminatory and anti-competitive business practices.
They also urged that the government should support companies to expand export using e-commerce. Issues like lack of level-playing field between online and offline retailers were also raised. On the other hand, E-commerce companies highlighted that they were running various programmes that are enabling lakhs of small businesses to go digital.
Some participants said marketplaces or their affiliated entities must not have economic participation, directly or indirectly, through equity or otherwise in any seller on the platform. They also urged that the marketplace entity must not provide any discriminatory treatment to seller, customer, logistic provider, or payment provider.
