Amazon and Flipkart need to respond to ‘unfair trade practices’ charge

NEW DELHI: Senior officials of the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) on Thursday sought responses from representatives of e-commerce firms Amazon and Flipkart following a complaint by traders’ body, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
CAIT representatives had earlier met commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal alleging that e-commerce majors Amazon and Flipkart are flouting foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in e-commerce by indulging in predatory pricing, deep discounting and exclusivity of several products which are not allowed under the policy.
While Walmart-backed Flipkart did not respond to queries from TOI, an Amazon India spokesperson said, “We had open and transparent discussion with DPIIT officials.”