Mobile cos, traders’ body approach Shah for allowing sale of handsets amid lockdown

Two apex industry bodies ICEA and Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) have jointly written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking permission for sale of mobile phones by pleading that such handsets are pivotal for communications during the lockdown.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) — whose members include Apple, Foxconn, Wistron, Flextronics, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Lava, among others — in its earlier communications to government authorities had said that mobile phones are at the heart of this ecosystem and their non-availability can be life threatening.

In a joint letter to Shah on April 22, the industry bodies mentioned that a very large number of citizens don’t have access to basic mobile phones even during these extraordinary circumstances.