Govt issues notices to Flipkart, Amazon for not displaying country of origin
The notice has been served for not displaying mandatory declaration on products.
The government has cracked the whip on e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart for not displaying mandatory declaration on products, including country of origin.
According to a PTI report, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has sent notices to the two e-tailers demanding explanations for non-compliance within 15 days, failing which action would be initiated against them as per the provisions of the Legal Metrology Rules, 2011.
Govt issues notices to Flipkart and Amazon for not displaying mandatory declaration on products, including country of origin
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2020
Post the Indo-China conflict on the border, the government made it mandatory for the e-commerce players to mention the origin of the products on their websites. The rule was invoked to prevent Chinese companies from selling goods in the Indian market and help the Indian origin brands to reclaim their market share.
While the e-tailers have asked their sellers to update the country of origin in August while listing their products on the websites, many haven't managed to do so on pre-existing listings on the two websites.
The notice comes amid the much-vaunted festive season when the two e-tailers have kickstarted their annual mega sales – Big Billion Day and Great Indian Festival. They have listed thousands of products on their websites and launched a massive marketing campaign to push that.
Lakhs of people throughout the month will shop on Flipkart and Amazon to make the best of this sale and avail products on discounts. Every year, the two e-commerce giants clock over a billion plus dollars in sales (combined) throughout the country. They have created a strong distribution, procurement, communication network and have been including the local sellers and retailers to expand their reach to the last corner of the country.