E-commerce policy soon, PMO ticking final boxes

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is examining the national e-commerce policy to understand its potential impact on domestic retailers and small players, two people aware of the matter said.

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"The policy is in its final stage and will be released soon after the approval by the PMO," said one of the people, adding the much-awaited policy will protect the interests of both consumers and industry.

The development is significant given the draft policy framed by the Union commerce ministry has recommended relaxations for companies that operate on e-marketplace business models such as Amazon, Flipkart and others.

The evaluation by the PMO follows a meeting on 2 August conducted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which is formulating the national e-commerce policy, with all stakeholders including representatives of e-commerce firms and a domestic traders' body.