Goyal flags e-comm giants’ influence on small players

NEW DELHI: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday slammed large e-commerce companies and flagged the influence they wield over small players in India, which was impacting their business and said the government was taking measures to ensure that consumers have access to products at affordable prices.

Goyal’s comments came a day after the Supreme Court refused to halt the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) probe into alleged anticompetitive practices by Walmart-owned Flipkart and Amazon. The companies have denied any wrongdoing. Goyal said the government is taking strict action with respect to the influence of big online retailers with the CCI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) looking into the issue.