 "Delhi curfew: Movement of all goods, e-comm delivery of essentials allowed")
The Delhi government allowed inter and intra State movement and transportation of essential and non-essential goods and delivery of all essential goods under the weekend curfew amid rising Covid-19 cases.
In its order detailing the roadmap for the weekend curfew beginning Friday 10 pm, the Delhi government said that movement within the city for certain categories of people, including people making essential deliveries will be allowed by applying for a pass on State government website.
The order steers clear of the confusion on essential and non-essential goods by allowing inter and intra city movement of all kinds of goods, unlike Maharashtra, where clarity on these issues took some time over the past two days.
Delhi government has also allowed movement of people providing services under telecom, Internet services, broadcasting and cable services, IT and IT enabled services.
Maharashtra government also clarified late Wednesday night that the State, which is under curfew, will allow online home deliveries of food and essential supplies (e-commerce) through all online service providers like Zomato and Swiggy, 24 hours on all days of the week.
On Wednesday, industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) had written to the CEO of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs with a request to enable e-commerce companies to deliver all goods and services and not restrict them to just "essential" ones, subject to appropriate safety norms.
A senior government official told Business Standard that DPIIT is yet to take a call on the matter.
In its letter to MIDC NAsscom urged them to issue a clarification and allow e-commerce companies to deliver all goods and services, while adhering to safety norms.
Access to items such as laptops and chargers, home printers, mobile phones and chargers, stationery, crucial for work-from-home, essential household goods such as kitchen, bath, electrical items are necessary to carry out day-to-day activities.
“In this context, we believe permitting e -commerce companies to supply all goods and services will minimise the number of people stepping out of their homes to avail goods and services,” according to the letter. Enabling access to such items will not only prevent any disruption in daily activities but will also curb the spread of Covid-19," Nasscom said.
Nasscom has highlighted in its representation that in April 2020, the central government had allowed e-commerce companies for the delivery of all goods and services. For the last one year, the industry has been taking all necessary precautions to contain the spread of the pandemic including providing contact less delivery.
As more and more States look at complete and partial lockdowns or curfews with rising Covid-19 cases, the issue of deliveries facilitated through online channels is beginning to mirror the situation last year. The e-commerce industry is asking for all kinds of deliveries to be allowed, without distinction of essential or non-essential goods. On the other hand, offline traders say if e-commerce firms are allowed to operate without distinction, they should also be allowed to open shops.
The Confederation of All India Traders has written to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Ministers of States saying that if e-commerce firms are allowed to sell non-essential goods "then keeping a parity, the traders in physical markets should also be allowed to operate their business activities pertaining to non-essential goods. There can not be any difference between physical stores or e-commerce companies for this matter and will minimise the contribution of traders who are the son of India".
In its order detailing the roadmap for the weekend curfew beginning Friday 10 pm, the Delhi government said that movement within the city for certain categories of people, including people making essential deliveries will be allowed by applying for a pass on State government website.
The order steers clear of the confusion on essential and non-essential goods by allowing inter and intra city movement of all kinds of goods, unlike Maharashtra, where clarity on these issues took some time over the past two days.
Delhi government has also allowed movement of people providing services under telecom, Internet services, broadcasting and cable services, IT and IT enabled services.
Maharashtra government also clarified late Wednesday night that the State, which is under curfew, will allow online home deliveries of food and essential supplies (e-commerce) through all online service providers like Zomato and Swiggy, 24 hours on all days of the week.
On Wednesday, industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) had written to the CEO of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs with a request to enable e-commerce companies to deliver all goods and services and not restrict them to just "essential" ones, subject to appropriate safety norms.
A senior government official told Business Standard that DPIIT is yet to take a call on the matter.
In its letter to MIDC NAsscom urged them to issue a clarification and allow e-commerce companies to deliver all goods and services, while adhering to safety norms.
Access to items such as laptops and chargers, home printers, mobile phones and chargers, stationery, crucial for work-from-home, essential household goods such as kitchen, bath, electrical items are necessary to carry out day-to-day activities.
“In this context, we believe permitting e -commerce companies to supply all goods and services will minimise the number of people stepping out of their homes to avail goods and services,” according to the letter. Enabling access to such items will not only prevent any disruption in daily activities but will also curb the spread of Covid-19," Nasscom said.
Nasscom has highlighted in its representation that in April 2020, the central government had allowed e-commerce companies for the delivery of all goods and services. For the last one year, the industry has been taking all necessary precautions to contain the spread of the pandemic including providing contact less delivery.
As more and more States look at complete and partial lockdowns or curfews with rising Covid-19 cases, the issue of deliveries facilitated through online channels is beginning to mirror the situation last year. The e-commerce industry is asking for all kinds of deliveries to be allowed, without distinction of essential or non-essential goods. On the other hand, offline traders say if e-commerce firms are allowed to operate without distinction, they should also be allowed to open shops.
The Confederation of All India Traders has written to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Ministers of States saying that if e-commerce firms are allowed to sell non-essential goods "then keeping a parity, the traders in physical markets should also be allowed to operate their business activities pertaining to non-essential goods. There can not be any difference between physical stores or e-commerce companies for this matter and will minimise the contribution of traders who are the son of India".
- Delhi govt allows movement of into and within Delhi for essentials and non essentials
- Essentials e-commerce delivery permitted during weekend curfew
- Mumbai also allowed e-commerce and online food delivery 24 hours, 7 days of the week
- Nasscom writes to State govt, central ministries asking them to allow all kinds of e-comm deliveries
- Offline traders protest all deliveries allowed rule
- Nasscom writes to State govt, central ministries asking them to allow all kinds of e-comm deliveries
- Offline traders protest all deliveries allowed rule
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