Context: Recently, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will very soon put a draft e-commerce policy in the public domain to seek views and comments.
Background

• India does not have an e-commerce policy yet.
• E-commerce is a fast emerging sector and there is a need to have a definite, clear and coherent policy, keeping in tune with the requirement of the society and service providers.

Key Points

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will be putting out a draft e-commerce policy in the public domain to seek views and comments.
• The country does not have an e-commerce policy and the department is currently working on this.
• It is now recognised that the country should have a definite, clear and coherent policy, which is keeping in tune with the requirement of the society and service providers.

Challenges

• Data regulations: Several foreign e-commerce firms have raised concerns over some points in the draft pertaining to data.
• Quality of products: There are a lot of counterfeit and inferior products being listed on the e-commerce platforms. There have also been reports of violation of various safety standards in the products being sold via the e-commerce platforms

Purpose of the policy

• The e-commerce policy should lay down a very clear policy on what is data; 
• what kind of data the e-commerce companies can use; how the citizens’ right of privacy can be protected; 
• how the e-commerce data is being leveraged for other purposes; 
• commercial benefits accrue to the e-commerce data holder; and 
• how citizens can have access to those benefits.
• Balancing the interests of all stakeholders: The policy measures should balance the interests of the customers and the service providers.

Consumer rights:

• The protection of consumer rights is of utmost importance.
• There is a need to prevent the sale of substandard goods on the e-commerce platforms for which the platforms themselves can have quality control measures.