E-Paper
Deadline for suggestions on draft e-commerce rules extended till July 21
The deadline for public comments and feedback on proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, was July 6.
The government on Monday extended the deadline for suggestions and feedback on the proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, till July 21.
In a notification, the Union consumer affairs ministry said the central government notified the Consumer Protection Rules, 2020, on July 23 last year. "It has now been decided to extend the timeline for receipt of comments/suggestions on the Draft E-Commerce Rules. Views/ comments/ suggestions on the proposed amendments may be sent by 21st July 2021 by email to js-ca@nic.in," the ministry added.
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Earlier, the deadline for submitting comments and feedback was July 6. However, at a meeting on July 3, several e-commerce firms urged the ministry to extend the deadline for the submission of comments. The ministry released the draft e-commerce rules on June 21, prohibiting "fraudulent" flash sales, as well as mis-selling of goods and services on e-commerce platforms.
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Other amendments of the draft rules include appointing a chief compliance officer or grievance redressal officer. The amendments further propose that every e-commerce entity, which wants to do business in India, register itself with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIT).
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Additionally, the amendments call for firms to notify, in not more than 72 hours, the receipt of an order from a government agency for prevention, detection, probe and prosecution for any action categorised as an offence under any law.
However, several e-commerce platforms, including giants Amazon and Tata Group, have reportedly warned the Centre that these rules would have a "major" impact on their business models. Also, according to research firm CUTS International, consumer organisations feel that these rules should be applicable only to "consumer-facing" issues.
(with agency inputs)
