E-commerce companies that twist the new MHA rules: CAIT

NEW DELHI: Allowing e-commerce companies to sell all items, including non-essential items like laptops and refrigerators, in green and orange areas will provide relief to people and help millions of small and medium-sized businesses and merchants to boost their business amid the shutdown, industry executives said.

The CAIT merchant corps, however, argued that e-commerce companies were misinterpreting the MHA guidelines and “twisted them in their favor to mislead various governments and state authorities and create unnecessary confusion.”

The government has now extended the shutdown to May 17 with a ban on air travel, trains, and interstate highway transportation. However, it did provide some relaxations for various business activities and the movement of people within areas with limited or no COVID-19 cases. Under the latest rules, e-commerce activities in the red zones are allowed only for essential goods during the third phase of the blockade.

“We welcome the government’s decision to allow electronic commerce in the orange and green areas to serve people safely with the products they need and have been unable to access due to the blockade. Millions of small and medium-sized businesses and Merchants will now be able to boost their businesses and livelihoods through their workforce, “said an Amazon India spokesperson.

The spokesman said the company will focus on maintaining the “sanctity of the new guidelines around red zones.”

The company urged the government to consider the positive role that e-commerce can play so that customers also receive all the priority products they need in the red zones, allowing greater financial support for small businesses and prioritizing security. However, the CAIT merchant corps argued that e-commerce companies were misinterpreting MHA’s guidelines.