Retailers Association of India urges government to permit deliveries

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Apr 17, 2020

The Retailers Association of India has asked the Union Government to permit all retailers, including those without e-commerce sites, to retail and deliver goods during the extended lockdown.

 
On Thursday, the RAI expressed support for the government’s decision to extend the nationwide lockdown until May 3 but asked it to loosen its regulations on which retailers are allowed to operate. The RAI said that allowing offline retailers to deliver goods to consumers will increase the availability of essential goods, increase jobs, and help to keep offline businesses afloat. 
 
“We urge the government to strongly consider that all forms of home delivery across retailers be allowed the benefit of doing business via contactless home delivery,” the RAI said in a statement, the Press Trust of India reported.

“This will ensure that there are fewer reasons for the public to step outside of their homes,” said the RAI. “It will also ensure greater availability of supplies and help conform to the requirement of social distancing.”
 
The extended lockdown has led to a need for a wider variety of goods beyond groceries and personal care items. Many working and studying from home need electronics such as laptops and chargers. 
 
States have begun to allow e-commerce deliveries on all goods but brick-and-mortar stores remain closed. As many of these stores are micro, small, and medium enterprises, they bear the brunt of the economic fallout caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
 
As of Friday morning, India counts over 13,495 confirmed coronavirus cases with over 448 fatalities. Around 1,777 people are known to have recovered from the virus.