New Delhi, In a significant development related to war between e-commerce giants and traders of India, the Union Government has directed the Enforcement Directorate and Reserve <keyword id="6355303" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bank-of-india">Bank of India</keyword> to take necessary action against <keyword id="18635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and Walmart-owned-Flipkart. The Centre has taken strong cognizance of various complaints made by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) for <keyword id="2621917" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="blatant-violation">blatant violation</keyword> of <keyword id="35066" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="fdi-policy">FDI Policy</keyword> and Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) by these companies. CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal informed that on several complaints made by the CAIT to Union <keyword id="84" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Commerce">Commerce</keyword> Minister Piyush Goyal in the recent past against Amazon &amp; Walmart-owned-<keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, the Department of Promotion of Industries and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Ministry of Commerce in its letter issued on December has asked both Enforcement Directorate and Reserve Bank of India to take necessary action against Amazon and Flipkart. Bhartia and Khandelwal said that in its communication to ED and RBI, the DPIIT has forwarded four complaints of CAIT including violation of FDI policy in deal between Flipkart and Aditya Birla Group, violation of FDI policy related to FDI in manufacturing which is being used for Multi Brand Retailing by various e-commerce companies, violation of FEMA and its rules by Amazon and blatant violation of FEMA and FDI Policy by Amazon and Flipkart and exploitation of loopholes by them. CAIT said that traders across Country will observe Year 2021 as "Bhartiya Vyapaar Samman Varsh" under the aegis of CAIT and all efforts will be made to clean the e-commerce landscape of India and an era of manipulations, mal-practices and exploitation will come to end and the CAIT will promote and encourage traders across Country to adopt digital commerce and digital payments as new instruments to widen the net of business in India. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-tata-steel-vedanta-adani-green-tata-motors-maruti-mm-dhfl-v-mart-indian-bank-and-others/articleshow/80038635.cms">Top stocks to watch — Tata Steel, Vedanta, Adani Green, Tata Motors, Maruti, M&amp;M, DHFL, V-Mart, Indian Bank, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-the-list-of-upcoming-new-mobiles-in-january-2021-with-expected-price/articleshow/80039794.cms">Upcoming smartphones in India in January 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/ten-of-the-most-outrageous-predictions-for-2021-according-to-saxo-bank/slidelist/80040045.cms">From Amazon buying Cyprus to Germany bailing out France — here are ten of the most ‘outrageous’ predictions for 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-edtech-in-charts-how-the-shi[%E2%80%A6]es-of-byjus-unacademy-and-others/articleshow/80040270.cms">India’s edtech in charts – How the shift to online learning meant money, valuation and users for the likes of BYJU’S, Unacademy, and others</a>

Amazon and Flipkart accused of violating FDI policy — Indian government asks RBI and ED to take action

New Delhi, Jan 12 () Traders across the country will on January 15 stage protest against Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who will be visiting India this week, CAIT said on Sunday.
The traders' body alleged that his visit was to build a "false narrative" that e-commerce major is empowering small traders through its portal.
Bezos is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and officials, besides industry leaders, according to sources.
Confederation Of All India Traders (CAIT) has been claiming that Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart offers deep discounts and engaged in unfair business practices.
In a statement, CAIT described Amazon and Flipkart as "habitual offenders" of policy and law, claiming that they were destroying the e-commerce and retail trade eco system of India through predatory pricing, deep discounting, exclusivity and preferential seller system.
The traders' body has also sought an audience with the Prime Minister, prior to his meeting with Bezos, to apprise him about the "sinister game and evil design of Amazon business game which has already destroyed business of lakhs of small traders in the country".
The traders across the country will observe January 15 as National Protest Day, under which Bezos visit will be strongly opposed by gathering of traders by holding Halla Bol Rally and Sit-In in different cities of all states of the country," CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said. RSN LUX
BAL

Traders to protest against Amazon chief Bezos' India visit

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e1d5b2b24fe1234cf0ae7b2-782/bezos%20protest%20sign.jpg" alt="Bezos protest sign" /><ul class="summary-list"><li>Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is due to visit India this week to meet government officials and hold a huge Amazon event.</li><li>But many retailers in India who are being disrupted by Amazon want to make their displeasure felt.</li><li>A large Indian lobby group for retailers says it is rallying as many as 500,000 people to protest.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insiders home page for more stories.</a></li></ul>Thousands - potentially hundreds of thousands - of Indian small-business people are planning to give Jeff Bezos an unpleasant welcome on an impending visit to the country.Members of the a leading Indian small business group, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), say they will mobilize between 100,000 and 500,000 people to protest against the Amazon CEO.Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT's secretary general, described his protest plans to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-boss-bezos-to-face-protests-from-traders-during-india-trip-2020-1">Reuters</a> and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-13/amazon-s-bezos-faces-unprecedented-protests-during-india-trip">Bloomberg</a>, saying that he expects people to demonstrate in as many as 300 cities around India.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d42b81c100a2454757f1c36-1268/screen%20shot%202018-08-14%20at%20111329.png" alt="Jeff Bezos India" />The demonstrations are planned to hit on Wednesday, the same day Bezos is expected to attend a stadium-sized summit for small businesses being staged by Amazon in the capital, New Dehli.CAIT members object to Amazon's efforts to expand into the Indian retail sector, which is dominated outside of cities by small players.They say Amazon, worth close to $1 trillion, is using its economic muscle to offer deep discounts that smaller members cannot compete with.Taking a nationalist tone, CAIT National Secretary Sumit Agarwal said on Twitter that his group "will fight this battle against foreign economic terrorists &amp; invaders till the very end."Agarwal also posted protest imagery marked "Jeff Bezos Go Back!" It showed Bezos' face being crossed out, next to a backdrop of protesters.<a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/business/jeff-bezos-to-kick-off-3-day-india-visit-on-january-15-to-review-india-ops-and-meet-industrialists-5038501.htm">According to India's CNBC-TV18 news network</a>, citing unnamed sources who know the itinerary, Bezos is due to arrive in India on Wednesday, January 15.The network says he will attend <a href="https://www.smbhav.com/smbhav2020">Smbhav</a>, a summit run by Amazon for small businesspeople.The event, at New Dehli's JLN sports stadium, <a href="https://www.smbhav.com/smbhav2020#/speakers?lang=en">features speakers including Amazon's top Indian executives</a> as well as senior figures from firms like Google, Visa, HSBC, and Unilever.Bezos is not listed as a speaker, but both CNBC-TV18 <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-13/amazon-s-bezos-faces-unprecedented-protests-during-india-trip">and Bloomberg</a> reported that he would attend.He is also said to be seeking a meeting with Narendra Modi, India's Prime Minister, and to make an appearance at a celebrity event for Amazon's Prime Video service.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/40-big-tech-predictions-for-2019?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=amazon&amp;itm_campaign=40-big-tech-predictions-for-2019-2"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5d371804a13c9573827f1cb9" alt="Exclusive FREE Slide Deck: 40 Big Tech Predictions for 2019 by Business Insider Intelligence" style="width: 100% !important" /></a><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Enough of tolerance! <a href="https://twitter.com/TEAMCAIT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TEAMCAIT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AimraIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AimraIndia</a> will fight this battle against foreign economic terrorists &amp; invaders till the very end and bring back peace &amp; prosperity for our 70 million retailers. <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rajnathsingh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PiyushGoyal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> It's now time for action! <a href="https://t.co/aHpsJJNGt1">https://t.co/aHpsJJNGt1</a>- SUMIT AGARWAL (@sumitagarwal_82) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1216411581547868161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2020</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PMOIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rajnathsingh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AmitShah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmitShah</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PiyushGoyal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HardeepSPuri</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/smritiirani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@smritiirani</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrakashJavdekar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrakashJavdekar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gopalkagarwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gopalkagarwal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nitin_gadkari?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nitin_gadkari</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/praveendel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@praveendel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4India</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/amitabhk87?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@amitabhk87</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TEAMCAIT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TEAMCAIT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JPNadda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JPNadda</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/blsanthosh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blsanthosh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DIPPGOI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dippgoi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CimGOI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CimGOI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RSSorg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RSSorg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOBACKBEZOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GOBACKBEZOS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Sw8y1m1kqt">pic.twitter.com/Sw8y1m1kqt</a>- SUMIT AGARWAL (@sumitagarwal_82) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1216677994409816066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>

Thousands of angry Indians are planning to disrupt a visit from Jeff Bezos by staging mass protests over Amazon's disruption of retail

Mumbai, Apr 15 () After the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) came out with guidelines that enabled ecommerce players to operate, the Retailers Association of India (RAI) on Wednesday urged the government to consider allowing all forms of home delivery of goods in a contactless manner."The guidelines bring the focus that the government has on maintaining social distancing while ensuring that consumers get what they want in a safe and contactless manner. It demonstrates the intent to support the safety of the people while also enabling movement of goods required to ensure economic activities."We urge the government to strongly consider that all forms of home delivery across retailers be allowed the benefit of doing business via contactless home delivery," RAI CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said in a statement here.He said, allowing this for all retailers, and not just e-commerce players, will facilitate the availability of all the goods at the doorsteps of customers."This will ensure that there are fewer reasons for the public to step outside of their homes. It will also ensure a greater availability of supplies and help conform to the requirement of social distancing. This move will further support the economic revival for the country as well as allow for new avenues of job creation in the market," he added.Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) came out with a advisory to all the traders across the country registered on various e-commerce platforms that during the lockdown period and till any further guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs, they should restrict their business activities only to essential goods as per the guidelines.CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said the MHA guidelines issued makes it clear that the ecommerce companies can only deliver essential goods.However, it is unfortunate that some companies have misinterpreted the guidelines and have told traders to start preparing for delivery of any goods whether essential or non-essential from April 21 onwards, he said.The guidelines, which permits e-commerce companies to operate is only to facilitate the movement of essential goods and not all types of goods, the advisory added.Khandelwal further said "under clause 14(v) e-commerce is allowed but clause 13(i) stipulates the extent and, therefore, the traders must desist themselves in trading non essential goods on any platform otherwise they will have to face the penal provisions under assister Management Act, which has been made part of the guidelines".In order to avoid any penal action under the strict MHA guidelines, the small traders doing online business should not under any circumstances return to normal business without further clarification from the Ministry, he said."The non-essential traders also must read cautiously and put health before business as the coronavirus cases in the country are still in an upward trend and we are in a national lockdown till May 3," he added. SM MKJ

Retailers' body seeks permission for contactless home delivery of goods

<ul><li>A recent directive from the Indian government on the extended lockdown allowed the ecommerce platforms to deliver non-essential items as well, starting April 21.</li><li> However, now the government has issued a new order that excludes ecommerce platforms from selling non-essential items from its revised guidelines that allow relaxation.</li><li> As a result, you will not be able to order electronics, mobile phones and other such items till May 3, when the current lockdown is scheduled to be lifted.</li></ul>If you have been waiting to order a new phone or any other electronic like a TV or a laptop, you will have to wait a little longer. While delivery of non-essential items was expected to resume after April 20, the government has issued a new notification that prohibits the sale of non-essential items on <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and other e-commerce platforms till the lockdown is lifted. On April 16, the Ministry of Home Affairs<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/good-news-now-you-order-non-essentials-on-amazon-paytm-mall-snapdeal-and-others/articleshow/75180220.cms"> issued revised guidelines</a> allowing e-commerce platforms to deliver non-essential items from April 21. The revised guidelines asked platforms to ensure strict social distancing. Remarking on this, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said yesterday, “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," CAIT’s secretary-general Praveen Khandelwal said. Indian e-commerce players Paytm Mall and Snapdeal welcome the move, saying they were already in talks with brands and their e-commerce partners. You will have to wait two more weeks to buy mobile phones, electronics and more Now that the government has prohibited Amazon, Flipkart and others from selling non-essential items, buyers will have to wait two more weeks before they can purchase mobile phones, electronics and other non-essential items. Earlier today, Flipkart had notified its users about ordering TVs and other items. However, it has now removed those details from its app and its homepage after the Home Ministry’s order. The lockdown is scheduled to be lifted on May 3. You will have to wait until then to buy these non-essential items. "Now that the lockdown will be way past its initial 21 days period, it is imperative to expand the definition of “essential goods”. In fact not doing so could be counterproductive at this time. While the entire nation is forced indoors and working from home for extended period it is important that besides food, groceries and medicine, we also ensure supply of other critical items like kitchenware and small kitchen appliances, personal hygiene items, inner wear, work from home essentials like phones, laptops and accessories etc.", Sanjay Sethi, ShopClues CEO said in a statement. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/good-news-now-you-order-non-essentials-on-amazon-paytm-mall-snapdeal-and-others/articleshow/75180220.cms">Good news! Now you can order non-essentials on Amazon, Paytm Mall, Snapdeal and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-hits-mumbais-jaslok-hospital-31-nurses-5-doctors-test-positive/articleshow/75229762.cms">Coronavirus hits Mumbai's Jaslok hospital, 31 nurses, 5 doctors test positive</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/india-amends-fdi-policy-to-prevent-opportunistic-acquisitions-of-indian-companies-by-the-chinese/articleshow/75222108.cms">India amends FDI policy to prevent ‘opportunistic acquisitions’ of Indian companies⁠ by the Chinese</a>

Amazon, Flipkart cannot deliver non-essential items like mobile phones, TVs during lockdown

(Eds: combines related stories) New Delhi, May 3 () India prepared for the third phase of the national lockdown from Monday with "considerable relaxations" in several districts but curbs will continue in containment areas even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said people will have to be ready to live with coronavirus and that time has come to re-open the city. As coronavirus cases jumped by 2,487 in the highest ever 24-hour spike and the fatalities rose by a record 83, officials cautioned against any violation of the lockdown curbs so that the gains achieved so far in the battle against COVID-19 are not "squandered away".The lockdown was imposed on March 25 and is slated to last till May 17 after two extensions putting the total period of restrictions at 54 days. Retailers and traders expect to re-open more shops under the new relaxed guidelines although they are still seeking clarity from local authorities. As he announced the implementation of all lockdown relaxations prescribed by the Centre for the 'Red Zone' in the national capital, Kejriwal said coronavirus is going nowhere and it is impossible that the positive cases in the country will be zero. " Corona(virus) has come. It is impossible that there will be no cases of coronavirus because it has not happened across the country. We will have to be ready to live with coronavirus. We will have to get used to it," he told an online media briefing. "Time has come to re-open Delhi," the AAP leader noted, as he said the Delhi government will suggest to the Centre that only containment areas in the city be declared as red zones and not the entire district. At present, all 11 districts in the city have been declared as red zones. According to the Union Health ministry on Sunday, the death toll stood at 1,306 while the total cases climbed to 40,263 on Sunday. The recovery rate was nearly 25 per cent. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged people to observe the extended two-week period of lockdown in letter and spirit and treat it as an effective intervention to cut down the chain of transmission of COVID-19. "We are on the path of success and we will win this war against COVID-19," he asserted. According to the health ministry, as on Friday, there were 130 'Red' zones, maximum of 19 in UP, followed by 14 in Maharashtra. The number of 'Orange' Zones was 284 and 'Green' was 319. Vardhan said the rate of growth of new COVID-19 cases has been steadying for a while and the recovery rate improving, adding that India is on the path of success and will win the war against the pandemic. According to the data received on Sunday, for the past three days, the doubling rate of the virus is 12.0, for seven days it is 11.7 and for 14 days it is 10.4, the minister was quoted as saying in a statement. "We have crossed over 10 lakh tests till date and are performing over 74,000 tests in a day presently." He said India is on a "better footing" as compared to other nations, adding the country is capable to pull off any eventuality with more than 2.5 lakh beds in dedicated COVID-19 hospitals and health centers. Echoing Vardhan's views, Niti Aayog member V K Paul said the continuous rise in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is expected to stabilise anytime soon, He also said the rationale behind the government's decision to extend the lockdown by two more weeks after May 3 is to consolidate the gains of the first and second phase of restrictions. In an interview to , Paul said a sudden spurt in number of coronavirus cases is still amenable to containment strategy. "The rationale (behind extending the lockdown till May 17) is that the gains of lockdown need to be consolidated in the country...Real goal of lockdown was to suppress the chain of transmission of the virus. So, we will lose that, if we abruptly end it," said Paul, who is heading an Empowered Group on medical equipment. Retailers Association of India (RAI) said it will have to be seen how the third phase of lockdown works out at the ground as there is confusion, and many states are yet to come up with guidelines to follow the Centre's decision. Similarly, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also claimed they will be in a "dilemma" as there is confusion over "what constitutes a neighbourhood shop and a standalone shop", while organised retailers such as Future Group and V-Mart Retail said they are also seeking permissions from local authorities. "Some parts of the businesses will reopen. What we see is that there is the possibility of opening of some standalone stores...We will open wherever we can and we will talk to the local authorities to open. We will have to see how it works out. Expressing similar concerns, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said, "The traders will be in a dilemma". National General Secretary of the Federation of All India Vyapar Mandal, V K Bansal said, "The biggest problem with the guidelines is that it all depends on the states. The states frame their own policies and do not want to take any responsibility. The Centre wants relaxation but states are restrictive". Fighter jets and transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out fly-pasts over major cities and towns while military choppers showered petals on leading hospitals across the country as part of a mega exercise to express gratitude to lakhs of doctors, paramedics and other front-line workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the mega exercise, calling It a great gesture. "Saluting those who are at the forefront, bravely fighting COVID-19. Great gesture by our armed forces," Modi tweeted. Concerned over scores of frontline security personnel catching the COVID-19 disease, the Centre has suggested to states to prepare an effective second line of defence by deploying home guards, civil defence and NCC cadets among others wherever feasible to contain the spread of the deadly virus. In a communication to all states and UTs, the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) said the police chiefs may consider the option of 'work from home' for personnel not deployed on the frontline, and wherever possible. In another communication. The MHA also made it clear that the relaxations given for the inter-state movement of people during the lockdown was available only to distressed migrant workers. Railways also pressed more 'Shramik Special' trains for the third day to ferry stranded migrants back to their native places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha among other states. ACB SKL ASK PLB BUN PR KRH RSN RKL UZM BKS MPB GSN GSNGSN

Lockdown 3.0 begins tomorrow with 'considerable relaxations'; people should be ready to live with COVID-19:Kejriwal

New Delhi, May 3 () Retailers and traders expect to re-open more shops from Monday under the new relaxed guidelines by the government for the extended lockdown period till May 17, although they are still seeking clarity from local authorities.Retailers Association of India (RAI) said it will have to be seen how it works out at the ground as there is confusion, and many states are yet to come up with guidelines to follow the Centre's decision. It has already stated that what constitutes market places could be misinterpreted.Similarly, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also claimed they will be in a "dilemma" as there is confusion over "what constitutes a neighbourhood shop and a standalone shop", while organised retailers such as Future Group and V-Mart Retail said they are also seeking permissions from local authorities."Some parts of the businesses will reopen. What we see is that there is the possibility of opening of some standalone stores...We will open wherever we can and we will talk to the local authorities to open. We will have to see how it works out."In any case individual states will have to come out with clear guidelines. While some states have come out with the guidelines but they are the same as what Centre has said. I think the states are also confused and they are printing the same thing that Centre is sending," RAI CEO Kumar Rajagopalan told .Expressing similar concerns, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said, "The traders will be in a dilemma".When asked whether things are expected to change on the ground with the phase 3 of lockdown beginning Monday, he said there is "lack of clarity and confusion over what constitutes a neighbourhood shop and a standalone shop".He asserted that the "clarification should come from the right quarters. Not only the Centre, it is the duty of the state governments to issue that clarification because most of the issues are under the domain of the state governments, the law enforcement authorities also function as per their directives".National General Secretary of the Federation of All India Vyapar Mandal, V K Bansal said, "The biggest problem with the guidelines is that it all depends on the states. The states frame their own policies and do not want to take any responsibility. The Centre wants relaxation but states are restrictive".While wholesale markets are not allowed to open in red zones in Delhi, he said, standalone shops can open but the state government's role was crucial in implementation of the Centre's guidelines.Bansal added that unavailability of migrant labour was a major issue faced by shop owners, restricting their operations.According to the leading retailer Future group, the company would now start retailing other than non-essential and food items wherever allowed after the new notification."Inside Big Bazar, we would be now able to sell not just food and essentials only but also other items as crockery, kitchenware and general merchandise. Even at Big Bazaar, at certain places we would start selling other products apart from food," said a Future group official.The Future Group, which operates in several formats such as large stores Big Bazaar and neighbourhood store Easyday, said that the company is in the process of obtaining permission to open the stores in the green zone."Wherever, we have standalone stores in the green zone, we are also figuring out with the authorities when to start operating," the official said.According to another Future group official, most of its big format stores like Big Bazaar are in malls, which have been kept closed even during the second phase of the lockdown."The standalone stores of Big Bazaars were already operating. Some of our stores are in non-mall areas and we have written to the local authorities seeking permission for that," he said.Around 80 per cent stores of Big Bazaar are operational with several restrictions such as timing, number of visiting and retailing activities limited only to essential items, the official said.Value fashion and lifestyle products retailer V-Mart Retail also said it is gearing to open the stores in the green and orange zone but reiterated that there is a need for clarification on the difference between malls and standalone stores, specially in small towns."We have around 62 stores are in green zone and 98 are in orange, where there are chances that the stores would open. We are in talks with the local administration to allow the stores to open," V-Mart Retail Chairman and MD Lalit Agarwal said.He, however, said it will be a gradual opening as initially people would hesitate to come into the store."We expect all our stores to be opened in phased manners and in the initial month only 20 per cent customer would visit," Agarwal said.He sought greater clarity from the government on the differentiation between a mall and standalone retailers."In the small towns, there are no malls and they (local authorities) misunderstand small standalone stores like us for a mall and prohibit us from operating," Agarwal said.Under the MHA guidelines, malls will continue to remain shut in all zones.In red zone all malls, market complexes and markets will remain closed in urban areas, which are within limits of municipal corporations and municipalities. However, shops selling essential goods in markets and market complexes are allowed.All standalone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted in urban areas without any restrictions of essential and non-essential. In rural areas all shops, excepts malls, are permitted to open without any distinction of essential and non-essential but social distancing has to be maintained in all cases.In green and amber zones there are no such restrictions for marketplaces, neighbourhood and standalone shops. KRH RSN RKL BAL

Lockdown 3.0: More shops expected to re-open but confusion reigns, say retailers

<ul><li>After issuing its new e-commerce policy in December, the Indian government is walking back on its words.</li><li>Online retailers — <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> — will still be able to sell their own private brands on the e-commerce platforms. </li><li>This should come as a relief since their plans going forward reportedly heaving depended on their own private labels including the Alexa powered Amazon Echo devices. </li><li>The new clarification has come under attack citing that the industrial governing body is just ‘losing guts’ in backtracking from its original stance. </li></ul>Amazon and Flipkart teamed up to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-new-e-commerce-policy-has-rivals-flipkart-and-amazon-teaming-up-to-counter-the-new-directive-and-the-republic-day-sale-will-probably-be-their-last/articleshow/67366996.cms">aggressively</a> voice their concerns against the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-just-dealt-a-serious-surprise-to-amazon-and-flipkart-heres-what-that-means-for-online-shoppers/articleshow/67272151.cms">new e-commerce policy</a> that the Indian government rolled out on December 26. Their efforts seem to have paid off with the India government <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/govt-does-u-turn-in-policy-says-e-commerce-firms-can-sell-private-labels-119010301114_1.html">flip-flopping</a> to say that the brands can still sell products by associated private labels. This means that products like the Amazon Echo and the Kindle as well as Flipkart items from MarQ, SmartBuy and Perfect Homes will still be available online. Both e-commerce giants had plans to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/flipkart-lines-up-private-labels-before-big-day/articleshow/65715180.cms">increase focus</a> on their private labels, which offer higher margins and contribute towards the company's’ gross sales. Consumers also reportedly prefer the private labels since the products are 20-30% cheaper than other branded products according to Adarsh Menon, the head of private labels at Flipkart. Amazon, following Flipkart’s playbook, also <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Companies/K6AOABYmYOWnrmr03KQBZJ/Amazon-India-looks-to-expand-private-label-biz.html">has plans</a> of scaling up its operations to include private labels that cover new categories. Between 2017 and 2018, it <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Companies/O8Wc537U13T2iREYW1jYfM/Amazon-trebles-choice-of-offerings-under-private-labels.html">more than doubled</a> the number of products under its private labels from 15,000 to 43,000. The Indian government taking back its own words The original policy stated that e-commerce marketplace entities could not sell products by private labels where it could control the inventory or where it had a stake in it the associated company. ‘Clarifying’ the implication of that, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) issued another statement on Thursday. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="“Concerns have been raised that press note 2 (2018) prohibits sale of private label products through the marketplace. It is clarified that the present policy does not impose any restriction on the nature of products which can be sold on the marketplace.”" auname="DIPP"></div>



 While the government has refused to comment to why they took a complete u-turn from what was clearly stated in the original policy, they assert that this is their final legal stand. The domestic trade body, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), is particularly ashen. Their National Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal stated, “The new clarification note is a simple stupid confusion or losing guts and backtracking.” See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-just-dealt-a-serious-surprise-to-amazon-and-flipkart-heres-what-that-means-for-online-shoppers/articleshow/67272151.cms">The Indian government just dealt a serious surprise to Amazon and Flipkart — Here’s what that means for online shoppers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-new-e-commerce-policy-has-rivals-flipkart-and-amazon-teaming-up-to-counter-the-new-directive-and-the-republic-day-sale-will-probably-be-their-last/articleshow/67366996.cms">India’s new e-commerce policy has rivals Flipkart and Amazon teaming up to counter the new directive — and the ‘Republic Day’ sale will probably be their last</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/amazon-walmart-seek-us-help-against-indias-new-draft-e-commerce-policy/articleshow/65228547.cms">Amazon, Walmart seek US help against India’s new draft E-commerce Policy</a>

Amazon and Flipkart are off the hook — You’ll still be able to buy the Amazon Echo and MarQ products online

While discount-hungry consumers might be rejoicing at news of the Walmart-<keyword id="6354742" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> deal, wherein the US retail giant plans to purchase a majority stake in Flipkart for $15 billion, it also has a major detractor for the very same reason. The Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT), a national association of small businesses and traders, has said that the proposed deal will hurt competition and encourage further <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/India-your-e-commerce-discounts-are-safe/articleshow/63928216.cms">loss leadership </a>and “predatory pricing” tactics in India’s e-commerce market. It also observed that <keyword id="80487" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> was choosing to enter India via the e-commerce route after being denied entry to the country’s multi-brand retail sector. The trade body called on the Indian government to form a national regulator exclusively for the e-commerce sector and to put the Walmart-Flipkart deal on ice until such a body had been formed. Flipkart’s board is said to have already approved a sale to Walmart, leaving competitor <keyword id="18635" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> in the lurch. The deal, which is the largest in India’s retail sector, will have widespread implications for the country’s fast-growing online shopping market, which is shaping up to be a duopoly featuring Flipkart and Amazon. The Indian e-tailer will get access to Walmart’s products while the latter will be able to leverage Flipkart’s well-oiled logistics and supply chain network. However, the deal could harm India’s small businesses, especially given Walmart’s habit of driving down its suppliers margins in order to keep prices low. Earlier this week, another trade body, the All India Online Vendors' Association (AIOVA ) said that the 3,500 sellers registered with it were <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/sellers-on-flipkart-jittery-ahead-of-deal-with-walmart-aiova/articleshow/64028643.cms">uncertain as to their future</a> in light of the deal. If Walmart were to introduce its own private labels in general merchandise to the online shopping platform, it could crowd out domestic suppliers, the AIOVA said. There are also concerns that Flipkart’s algorithm could give an unfair advantage to Walmart’s labels. The Indian government, which has been aware of these issues for a while, is set to launch a <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/policy-trends/e-commerce-policy-framework-to-be-ready-in-6-months/articleshow/63902314.cms">regulatory framework for the e-commerce sector</a> in six months. The policy framework is expected to address the issues of discounts, foreign investments and a lack of competition. The protests from trade bodies are not the only hurdle that the Walmart-Flipkart deal is facing. Japan’s Softbank, which owns a 20% stake in Flipkart, is looking for ways to offload its holding to Walmart without <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Industry/AqFDQe7iRwScMK6Rn2bxAL/SoftBank-weighs-options-to-cut-tax-liability-in-Flipkart-sta.html">incurring a heavy tax bill</a>. It could even delay the stake sale until next year in order to reduce its tax liability.

India's small businesses are against Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55097026.cms" /> There have been calls from some quarters of <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> for boycott of Chinese goods in ongoing <keyword id="188" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Diwali">Diwali</keyword> season, <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> today said any such move will negatively impact the India¬ bound investments from its enterprises and also the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. 
 
China also asserted that such a boycott would not have much impact on its exports, but "without proper substitutes, the biggest losers of the boycott of Chinese goods will be Indian traders and consumers". In a statement, the Chinese embassy said China is the world's largest trading nation in goods, with its exports in 2015 amounted to USD 2276.5 billion. "The exports to India accounted for only 2 per cent of China's total exports and India's boycott of Chinese goods will not have much impact on China's exports.” While the boycott may not impact China’s exports but China said that it will impact Indian traders and consumers, “China is more concerned that the boycott will negatively affect Chinese enterprises to invest in India and the bilateral cooperation, which both Chinese and Indian people are not willing to see." Amid rising tension in Indo¬Pak ties, there have been calls from some fringe entities, including through social media platforms, about boycott of Chinese goods to protest against China's support to Pakistan. Apex traders body CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) recently said the sale of <keyword id="108268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chinese-products">Chinese products</keyword> may decline by 30 per cent this Diwali. India is a big market for Chinese products and over the years import of toys, furniture, building hardware, crackers, lighting and electric fittings, furnishing fabric, office stationary, electronic appliances, consumer electronics, kitchen equipment &amp; appliances, gift items, watches etc from China has increased to a great extent. 
 
Chinese products are generally low¬priced which is the root cause of infiltration of Chinese goods in the Indian market, CAIT had said. In its statement, Chinese embassy referred to reports that local sellers in Sadar Bazaar, the largest wholesale market of household items in India, have complained about their Chinese goods sale dropping by at least 20 per cent. "The boycott effect will not limit to Diwali related products, but extended to other Chinese products that are not related to the festival. In the long¬run, boycott will not only hurt Chinese goods sale, but also cause negative effects to consumers in India," it said. 
 
Photo Credit: Reuters

China warns boycott of Chinese goods in India will have negative impact on India ¬bound investments

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/52864215.cms" /> 
In <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MasterCard&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MasterCard</a>’s ‘Micro Merchant Market Sizing and Profiling Report’ released in collaboration with Confederation of All India Traders, the company has claimed small businesses make up for 45% of India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GDP&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">GDP</a>, around three times of what Corporate India contributes. The sector is also said to be employing close to 46 crore people, and growing at 11.5% annually. 
 
India is pre-dominantly a cash-based economy, with less than 5% of the country’s personal consumption expenditure of $1.1 trillion transacted via <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=digital+payments&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">digital payments</a>. 
 “Cash can cost businesses up to 2% of their operating costs, including labor over-heads. Cash is not free”, Ravinder S. Aurora, Groud Head, Global Policy Affairs and Community Relations at <keyword id="6368201" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="MasterCard">MasterCard</keyword> said. 
 
The country currently with a population of over 1.2 billion has a mere 12 lakh POS terminals. Aurora claims a mere 1.5% of the 10 crore of India’s small traders currently have cards. 
 “As a consumer, the transactional cost is a major deterrent. The government should offer tax breaks and incidental benefits as incentives to <keyword id="6358577" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Digital-Payments">digital payments</keyword>. Currently only 5% of the cards issued are used for online payments. With incentives it can be bumped up to 30%. That’s way more than the 2% transactional fee banks make”, Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General, CAIT said. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MasterCard&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MasterCard</a> has promised to get over 500 million new consumers onto the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=digital+payments&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">digital payments</a> bandwagon by 2020, and Aurora claims India is a major strategic market for the company. 
 
Image Credit: Indiatimes

You Searched For "cait national general" and got 11 results

Amazon and Flipkart accused of violating FDI policy — Indian government asks RBI and ED to take action

IANS

Traders to protest against Amazon chief Bezos' India visit

PTI

Thousands of angry Indians are planning to disrupt a visit from Jeff Bezos by staging mass protests over Amazon's disruption of retail

Kieran Corcoran

Retailers' body seeks permission for contactless home delivery of goods

PTI

Amazon, Flipkart cannot deliver non-essential items like mobile phones, TVs during lockdown

Rounak Jain

Lockdown 3.0 begins tomorrow with 'considerable relaxations'; people should be ready to live with COVID-19:Kejriwal

PTI

Lockdown 3.0: More shops expected to re-open but confusion reigns, say retailers

PTI

Amazon and Flipkart are off the hook — You’ll still be able to buy the Amazon Echo and MarQ products online

Prabhjote Gill

India's small businesses are against Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart

Dilsher Dhillon

China warns boycott of Chinese goods in India will have negative impact on India ¬bound investments

BI India Bureau

Indian SMEs contribute 45% to country’s GDP: Report

BI India Bureau