Govt e-market asks sellers to declare country of origin

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under the ministry of commerce and industry has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the ‘country of origin’ while registering new products on it. The main platform for various official procurements has also stipulated that sellers, who has already uploaded their products, are being reminded regularly to update the ‘country of origin’, failing which their items will be removed from the platform, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

While GeM says it has taken this step to promote ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India), the move also comes days after a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers. Sub-standard and cheap Chinese products often make their way into the Indian market, more so through online platforms. The government has ramped up efforts to curb the inflows of such low-grade imports and their consumption here. Industry executives have often pointed out that several Chinese sellers are supplying to Indian consumers through online platforms in contravention of various rules.