CAIT alleges Niti Aayog is interfering in e-commerce retail regulations

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Aug 30, 2021

The Confederation of All India Traders criticised the Government of India’s public policy think tank Niti Aayog for allegedly interfering in the government’s upcoming e-commerce retail regulations and lack of support for Indian traders. 

 
CAIT accused Niti Aayog of falling to pressure from foreign-owned e-commerce businesses and attempting to sway the Ministry of Consumer Affairs towards supporting their interests over Indian businesses in the upcoming e-commerce regulations. On Saturday, CAIT’s leaders spoke out against Niti Aayog and urged the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to conclude the e-commerce regulations as soon as possible. 
 
“It is highly unfortunate that Niti Aayog in the last seven years since its inception has done absolutely nothing to support the eight crore traders of India and now when the government is trying to create a level playing field in the retail sector, Niti Aayog is interfering in between and trying to derail the process,” said CAIT’s secretary general Praveen Khandelwal, Indo-Asian News Service reported. 

“It is deeply shocking to see such a callous and indifferent attitude of the Niti Aayog who have remained a silent spectator for the last so many years when the foreign e-commerce giants have circumvented every rule of the FDI policy and blatantly violated and destroyed the retail and e-commerce landscape of the country but have suddenly decided to open their mouth at a time when the proposed e-commerce rules will potentially end the malpractices of the e-commerce companies,” said CAIT’S president B C Bhartia.