'Allowing e-commerce firms to deliver non-essential goods is unjust to traders': CAIT

The Centre allowing e-commerce companies to deliver non-essential goods from April 20, while the lockdown is still in force, is unjust and will discourage the more than 40 lakh traders dealing in essential commodities in the country who catered to the nation during the lockdown phase, said Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary-General of the traders Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

Speaking to the media Khandelwal said, "More than 40 lakh traders are supplying essential goods across India ever since the lockdown came into effect. Sidelining and ignoring them, the e-commerce companies have been allowed to deliver non-essential goods from April 20 onwards. It is a one-sided and unjust decision and against the larger interest of the traders and will create an imbalance in the country. Today, we have written a letter to PM Modi, asking him to intervene in the matter and reconsider the decision." 

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"When the lockdown was announced, these e-commerce companies had suspended their operations. We want to know today what is the necessity for which they have been given permission. We have no objection if they are given permission to provide essential services but why the non-essential goods," he added.

He also said that the People's Bank of China (PBOC) raising its stake in the HDFC Bank was a bad move for India. "This is alarming, I do not know why are we allowing China to invest in one of our strongest banks. So in a way, China always tries to capture the Indian economy, earlier it was through flooding the markets with its goods and now it is trying to interfere in our banking sector," Khandelwal said.

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Congress reacts

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken too had questioned the move by the Centre allowing delivery of non-essential goods and had demanded a level-playing field for retailers.

"While their shops are locked down for the last one month, their main competitors are open and have been allowed to sell non-essential items online. This is an injustice to retailers and the government should not allow this," Maken said on Twitter.

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MHA issues guidelines

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a set of detailed guidelines for the extended Coronavirus lockdown that will remain in force till May 3. Among others, the new guidelines state that the digital economy is critical to the services sector and is important for national growth.

"Accordingly, e-commerce operations, operations of IT and IT-enabled services, data and call centres for Government activities, and online teaching and distance learning are all permitted activities now," the guidelines say. 

The objective of the revised guidelines is to consolidate the gains achieved during the 1st phase of lockdown and further slow down the spread of COVID 19 and at the same time provide relief to farmers and labour and daily wage earners.

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(With ANI inputs)