Santoshee Gulabkali Mishra – e-Commerce – April 19, 2020.
The MHA issued new order to e- commerce companies like Amzaon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc in order to break the chain of novel coronavirus from spreading and prohibited supply non-essential goods.
Mumbai: After having recently issued the order allowing e-commerce companies to commence normal operations, within days the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) took U-turn and prohibited companies from supplying non-essential goods to customers.
The Ministry has taken this decision of prohibiting the non- essential goods supply in order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The e- commerce industry had started gearing up to deliver the products like mobile phones, refrigerators and television sets to customers in areas that do not fall under COVID-19 hotspots from April 20, as per guidelines issued by the MHA last week.
The nationwide lockdown in India, initially meant for a period of 21 days, has been extended till May 3 as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to rise.
Under the first phase of lockdown between March 24 and April 14, the Centre had only allowed delivery of essential goods, including food items, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through e-commerce platforms.
Following the guidelines by the Home Affairs Ministry, states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha have issued directions for e-commerce operations in the state. – By Santoshee Gulabkali Mishra
