E-commerce panel holds first meet to discuss sectoral issues

An e-commerce committee headed by NITI Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant held its first meeting here on Monday to discuss issues related to the sector, a senior official said.

The meeting witnessed a detailed presentations by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and IT industry body Nasscom to e-commerce sector stakeholders, the official said.

Representatives from six states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh also attended the meeting, he added.

The government had set up this committee last month to look into issues related to e-commerce business in India, including foreign direct investment (FDI) norms, as well as taxation problems being faced by private players in some of these states.

The committee members include officials from the Commerce and Information Technology Ministries, and the Department of Electronics, among others.

Currently, the government allows 100 per cent FDI allowed via the automatic route in the marketplace model of e-commerce.

However, foreign investment is not permitted in inventory-based e-commerce.

--IANS

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