Snapdeal's Kunal Bahl to lead CII's ecommerce committee

Confederation of Indian Industry on Monday said Snapdeal's Co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl has taken over as the Chairman of its ecommerce committee for the year 2020-21.

The upcoming ecommerce policy, the consumer protection rules, and a consistent interpretation of the intermediary status of ecommerce platforms figure high on the immediate agenda of the committee, a CII release said.

ALSO READ

Snapdeal expands to e-learning segment, signs up Toppr, Gradeup, Olympiad

"While as a nation we are living through unprecedented times, it is precisely in times like this that we need to come together and work for the larger good," Bahl said.

He further noted that "accelerated digitalisation in everyday lives had started to blur the demarcation between those who like to transact online and those who prefer the experience of dealing through physical channels."

In its meeting held last week, the Committee had resolved to use the growth and momentum of India's ecommerce sector to support the revival of India's economy.

The committee will also focus on resolving policy issues that will help accelerate the growth of exports through ecommerce platforms.

"The on-going year is an important one for India's ecommerce sector as various key policies, rules, and regulations are under discussion and finalisation. The committee will work closely with the government to support harmonisation of various laws under finalisation with the aim to ensure ease of business and compliance for the industry," CII said.

The promotion of exports through ecommerce is one of the explicitly stated objectives of India's upcoming ecommerce policy.

Measures to enable protection for gig workers, impacted by the business disruption were included as a key priority for the on-going year, it added.

Earlier in May, the ecommerce firm added e-learning vertical on its platform by signing up Toppr, Toppers Exam, Gradeup, Olympiad Helper, Practice Guru, and others to sell their courses and study materials.

With this, Snapdeal customers can access study material of 20 school boards, including ICSE, CBSE and IB, for Classes 5 to 12 covering more than 100 subjects, the company said in a statement.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context.)