Coronavirus: Amazon India urges govt to allow ecommerce companies deliver non-essentials

Amazon India, one of the leading ecommerce marketplaces, has urged the Indian government to allow ecommerce companies to deliver all products, and not restrict them to just essentials.

Amit Agarwal, the Country Head of Amazon India, in a post on Twitter, highlighted that the ecommerce industry offers the safest way to ensure social distancing, saving lives and livelihoods.

He also stressed on the fact that allowing ecommerce companies to deliver non-essential will help jump-start the small and medium enterprises sector in the country.

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The conditions imposed on the ecommerce industry by the government to restart their operations has become a contentious issue. After the end of the 21-day lockdown period, the government initially allowed the ecommerce companies to deliver all kinds of goods, but later changed its stance to restrict them to just essentials.

The biggest drivers of business for the ecommerce industry in India has been mobile handsets and apparel segment, and only recently, these companies have made a strong foray into groceries.

Ever since the nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, companies like Amazon and Flipkart had restricted delivery only to essential goods.

On the other hand, Flipkart has welcomed the decision of the Indian government. A spokesperson of the company, in a statement, said,

“The safety of the public remains the top priority during this unprecedented health crisis, and the Indian government’s efforts in ensuring that there is a minimal spread of COVID-19 has been commendable. We welcome the Government’s decision of providing gradual relaxations in retail, and hope for the safety and security of all stakeholders.”

However, the Walmart-owned Flipkart also stressed that a gradual opening up of delivery of non-essential goods through ecommerce will help meet consumer needs, which include items that will enable them to work from home.

“Ecommerce can also support in easing the burden of piled up inventory of MSMEs, and help in the delivery of these products to consumers in a safe and secure way while following the robust safety SOPs,” the Flipkart spokesperson said.