CAIT writes to Prabhu over not being invited to e-commerce meet

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Traders' body CAIT today expressed displeasure over not being invited to the proposed government meeting with the industry regarding formulation of a national policy on e-commerce.

"We have learnt that the next meeting of the 'think tank' with industry for drafting e-commerce policy has been scheduled for June 21, 2018 and as usual your ministry has neither invited us nor the online vendors though we are one of the most crucial and critical stakeholders of e-commerce business in India.

"Such an attitude is highly regretted and we are unable to understand as to why we have been left out with the consultation process," CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said in a letter to Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu.

He said merely inviting e-commerce companies and few of individual industries will not suffice the purpose unless the real stakeholders - the traders both offline and online - are invited and made an equal part of the discussion.

Confederation of All India Traders(CAIT) asked the minister to immediately look into the matter and advise the concerned officials to "rectify the mistake and extend invite to us as well to end discrimination and meet the ends of principle of natural justice".

Prabhu chaired the first meeting of the think tank on the Framework for National Policy on e-commerce held on April 24 this year.

The meeting witnessed participation from secretaries of the departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion, telecommunications, among other government officials.

It also witnessed high-level representatives from industry bodies, and e-commerce, telecommunication and IT companies.

However, CAIT said it was not invited in the April 24 meet.

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the decision to constitute a task force for preparing recommendations for India's national policy on e-commerce.