India won't allow multi-brand retail by foreign companies, says Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has asked traders and retailers to send suggestions regarding the draft e-Commerce policy to his ministry in the next five days.

In a meeting with the trader community on Wednesday, Goyal also reiterated that India will not allow multi-brand retail by foreign companies.

Addressing traders’ concerns, Goyal said that no entry will be allowed for multi-brand retail on the pretext of Business-to-Business enterprise.

He said provisions regarding the data in the e-commerce policy is being addressed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). He assured traders the e-commerce policy, currently on the anvil for more than a year, will be finalised only after taking into account every suggestion received by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The department had earlier faced allegations of not keeping the policy formation process not transparent enough.

Civil society bodies and interest groups have also written to DPIIT Secretary Ramesh Abhishek, expressing concerns over the consultation process. In a letter sent to Abhishek in May, 13 such groups have called for publishing all comments received by the DPIIT as part of the public consultation, to provide an opportunity to all stakeholders to submit counter-comments.