NHRC tweeted some of the remarks made by him recently during the ongoing 48th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held online.
Tag: e-commerce
-
Flash sales bar in basket of proposals to turn heat on e-commerce biggies
Express News Service
BENGALURU: After making defiant social media giants fall in line, the Centre seems all set to go after e-commerce biggies such as Amazon and Flipkart by proposing to make the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 more stringent. On Monday, the ministry issued a notification seeking suggestions from stakeholders on amending the Rules.Among the major changes mooted by the ministry are appointing a Chief Compliance Officer and a Resident Grievance Officer. Also on the table are compliance with government requests on information sharing, registering with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), prohibition of ‘flash sales’ offering deep discounts, and banning misleading ads.
E-commerce firms must now also register with the DPIIT within a prescribed period and also display the registration numbers. In case of any imported goods, the country of origin will have to be displayed along with name of the seller to ensure the ranking mechanisms don’t discriminate against domestic sellers. The chief compliance officer shall ensure implementation of the rules, while the resident grievance officer will redress user complaints. Besides, e-tailers shall provide information sought by government agencies for investigations, verification of identities or cyber security activities within 72 hours.
The government has given stakeholders 15 days time to convey their views. The changes seek to hold e-commerce firms operating in India accountable, said Archana Tewary, partner, J Sagar Associates. But the changes are so wide-ranging it needs to be seen how it will pan out, she added.
The announcement comes at a time when the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has dragged the e-commerce giants to the Karnataka High Court seeking a probe into their business models. Welcoming the notification, CAIT general secretary Praveen Khandelwal termed it the first logical step to making e-commerce an even-playing field.
“The gross violation of FDI policy and other laws by the foreign funded e-commerce firms has forced thousands of (brick-n-mortar) shops to close,” he claimed. Amazon declined to comment but sources said Flipkart has appointed key officers to comply with the rules.
-
CAT campaign brought color, now foreign e-commerce companies will have to pay tax
The campaign launched by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAT) against foreign e-commerce companies is slowly gaining color. It is being told that a provision has been made in the budget on foreign e-commerce companies that they will have to pay two percent additional tax. Kat has welcomed it.
CAT national vice president Amar Parvani, state executive president Vikram Singhdev said that the provision made in the budget is that these companies, whether engaged in the business of selling goods or providing services or technical services, will be given two percent additional tax. have to give. He said that it has been clarified in the budget that this will also apply to the sale of goods, even if the provider is the owner of the e-commerce portal.
Apart from this, this will also be applicable to the provisions of services through e-commerce even if the service provider itself is an e-commerce operator. He said that for a long time, CAT had been demanding from the government that e-commerce companies should be tightened. This is a major step in this direction. He said that these companies have played with the laws of the country, including the massive violation of FEMA and FDI policy.
-
CAT welcomes proposal to levy 2 percent additional tax on e-commerce companies
The union budget proposal to impose an additional tax of 2 percent on foreign e-commerce companies has been welcomed by the tireless efforts of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAT). CAT’s national vice president Amar Parvani said that CAT had been urging the government to clamp down on e-commerce companies for the past several months. This is a major step under this. Now many other steps are likely to be taken in this way. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce Minister deserve thanks for this.
Amar Parvani said that this provision has been made by proposing amendments in section 163 sub clause (3), section 164 clause (cb), section 165 sub clause (3) and clause (b) of the Finance Act, 2016 in the budget. These provisions will come into force from the previous date of 1 April 2020. Not only Amazon and Flipkart, but also Google, Microsoft, Zoom and other such foreign companies, which are engaged in selling goods or providing services through any online medium, will come under this provision. And they will have to pay 2 percent additional tax from April 1, 2020. This is a big and bold move of the government, which was warmly welcomed by traders across the country.
-
PIL seeks clear MRP, seller details of products sold by e-com sites; Delhi HC asks for Centre’s stand
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought response of the Centre on a PIL seeking a direction to e-commerce websites to prominently display names of manufacturers, country of origin and MRP of products sold on their platforms.A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notices to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Fashnear Technologies Pvt Ltd, Sociofy Enterprise Pvt Ltd and O (1) India Pvt Ltd, which own e-commerce websites, and sought their stand on the plea by March 12.
Fashnear, Sociofy and O(1) own e-commerce websites Meesho, Glowroad and Shop101, respectively.
The petition, by Ghaziabad resident Ajay Kumar Singh, has claimed that the consumers are facing great difficulty due to such details not being mentioned on e-commerce platforms.
Singh has said he regularly shops from e-commerce websites and according to research done by him, the requirements mandated under the Consumer Protection (Ecommerce) Rules, 2020 and Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 are not complied with by these e-commerce websites.
“Economy of the entire nation would suffer in the event the e-commerce websites continue not to mention the MRP, seller details, manufacturing country/country of origin of products on e-commerce websites.
Since the MRP of the product is not displayed the customers are forced to buy the product at a higher cost fixed by the manufacturers.
“Important rights of consumers are also being violated as they are not made aware of the seller at the time of purchase,” the petition, filed through advocate Rajesh K Pandit, has claimed.
It has sought directions to the ministry and the owners of the three e-commerce sites to ensure that mandatory declarations of products offered for sale are displayed on websites and Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and Consumer Protection Act, 2019 complied with.