Govt-appointed panel to meet on modalities of open network for e-commerce

The discussions and meetings will begin soon to allocate work to various agencies that will be involved in developing the platform, said an official in the know

A government-appointed panel will soon meet to discuss the finer details of the implementation and roll-out of the open network for digital commerce (ONDC) platform.

“The discussions and meetings will begin soon to allocate work to various agencies that will be involved in developing the platform. The goals, objectives, road map, and responsibilities will have to be firmed up,” said an official in the know.

“The operation and launch plan will have to be discussed, but that will take some time,” added the official.

ONDC is a network based on open protocol and will enable local commerce across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, among others, to be discovered and engaged by any network-enabled application.

Confederation of All India Traders Secretary-General Praveen Khandelwal said the ONDC will go beyond the current platform-centric digital commerce model, where the buyer and seller must use the same platform to do a business transaction.

In this system, if applications are connected to the open network, buyers and sellers can go ahead with their transactions, irrespective of the platform they use.

The proposed government-backed platform aims to curb digital monopolies by supporting micro, small and medium enterprises and small traders and help them get on online platforms. Officials believe this will create a level playing field for e-commerce behemoths such as Amazon, Flipkart, and offline traders who have been crying foul at the unfair trade practices of these e-tailers.

“There will also be strict know-your-customer norms for sellers to ensure consumers are not cheated,” said the official.

Last week, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) set up a committee, comprising experts like Infosys Chairman and Aadhaar architect Nan­dan Nilekani, National Health Authority Chief Executive Officer R S Sharma, among others, to advise the government on designing and accelerating the adoption of ONDC.

“ONDC is expected to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics, and enhance value for consumers,” the DPIIT had said.