New Delhi, Apr 9 (KNN) The government’s potential 100-day agenda may include addressing the long-pending e-commerce policy, aimed at resolving contentious issues surrounding the booming e-commerce sector.

According to senior government officials, the policy could clarify rules around additional taxes on e-commerce firms for high-value product sales, ownership and sharing of customer data between sellers and platforms, preferential product listings based on advertising, and curbs on e-tailers’ ability to sell private label brands competing with third-party sellers.

Striking a balance between the interests of small businesses, e-commerce giants, consumers, and broader economic objectives has been a key challenge in finalising the policy, which has been in the works since 2016 after extensive stakeholder consultations.

While Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have demanded stringent regulations, including restrictions on private labels and full access to customer data, e-commerce platforms have lobbied for a more lenient approach to avoid curbs on their operations.

A senior official stated that with political will, the groundwork already done could allow the long-delayed policy to be included in the new government's 100-day agenda. Reconciling the competing interests has contributed to delays, even as India's e-commerce market has witnessed exponential growth.

Resolving these issues is crucial for the government to balance the concerns of small traders and promote consumer interests while aligning with economic policy objectives.

As the new administration takes charge, all eyes are on whether the e-commerce policy makes it to the priority agenda, and how it irons out the complex tangle of regulations to govern the sector's dynamics.

An official announcement on the inclusion of the policy in the 100-day agenda is awaited by industry stakeholders and consumers alike.

(KNN Bureau)