‘Amazon, Flipkart assured to comply with laws’

STOCKHOLM/ NEW DELHI: Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday that e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart have assured the government that they will fully comply with India’s laws and will always be available for any clarification to satisfy authorities.
The minister’s statement comes at a time when Amazon and Flipkart are facing increased scrutiny in India over alleged violations of the FDI in e-commerce rules. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has sent questionnaires to both companies seeking details of their business models, including their association with payment gateways, inventory management and private label businesses.
“There were some complaints about circumvention of the e-commerce policy and our multi-brand retail laws and in all fairness, it is the government’s duty to verify, validate all such complaints, which is why I believe the e-commerce companies have been asked certain questions and the department will assess the response,” said Goyal.