[ad_1]
BENGALURU / NEW DELHI :
E-commerce firm Flipkart resumed selling electric fans, educational books and stationery such as pens on Friday after the new directive from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MHA) on April 21, which allowed ‘shops’ for electric fans and student books to operate.
A senior official at the Union Interior Ministry clarified on Friday that according to previous ministry orders, “electric fans and student books” could only be sold in stores in non-containment areas, “while companies in e-commerce could “sell only essential items.”
On April 19, the MHA revoked the permission to sell non-essential items by e-commerce companies.
A Flipkart Group spokesperson said: “… Through our safe and sanitized supply chain, we only sell groceries / essentials that have been allowed by government guidelines. We are also following our robust supply chain SOPs to ensure safe deliveries to customers at their doorsteps and we help reinforce social distancing to contain this outbreak. “
In the Flipkart app, delivery times for fans and books ordered on Friday range from 4-7 days.
“The MHA directive only says ‘stores.’ It does not specify physical stores, nor does it specifically exclude e-commerce. Stores can be both online and offline,” said one person familiar with the development, who did not want to be named.
However, Amazon India has yet to start selling anything other than government-listed groceries or essentials.
“The government has not intimidated e-commerce companies if they can start selling something other than the essentials that have been allowed so far,” said one person, who did not want to be named.
Snapdeal has been taking orders for non-essential products, but the delivery time is 30-40 days.
To be sure, various industry bodies have been making representations, asking the government to expand the list of essentials and allow online retailers to sell such products beyond the daily grocery items that Flipkart and Amazon have been selling.
These agencies have applied for permits to sell products that start with mobile phones, laptops, and other goods, including books and stationery. Since the summer peak season has accelerated in some parts of India, these retailers have also sought sales of cooling products such as fans.
Shaswati Das, Tarush Bhalla, Madhurima Nandy, and Suneera Tandon contributed to the story.
