ONDC will protect ecommerce vendors
23 April 2022
The authorities are developing a new platform dubbed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), for which rules will be drafted. These restrictions will apply to all internet commerce businesses. This is being done to protect independent ecommerce vendors who have claimed that ecommerce businesses give some sellers preferential treatment. A small number of merchants appear more frequently on specific platforms than third-party companies.
As a result, the government is developing new laws to ensure ‘algorithmic fairness’ for e-commerce platform users. These laws will require ecommerce vendors to display search results from multiple sellers. E-commerce enterprises would also be prohibited from revealing customer purchasing habits under the new guidelines. By providing small businesses with an equitable opportunity to offer their goods and services, ONDC will promote consumers’ interests and protect small businesses. The Consumer Affairs Ministry of the Indian government is developing this framework.
Will India be able to take advantage of the demand for staple food items that are desperately needed in some African countries, given the global food shortages?
If the Globe Trade Organization allows it, the Indian government has expressed its willingness to supply food grains to the rest of the world. Due to the recent geopolitical scenario, the government has agreed to increase wheat and sugar supplies to assist alleviate global food shortages. India currently possesses a massive stockpile of rice and wheat totaling 51.3 million tonnes, with another 34 million tonnes of unmilled paddy held by state governments.
As of April 1, this year, the total supply is two and a half times what the government needs to meet the country’s requirements under the National Food Security Act and centrally supported social welfare programs. This buffer will enable the Indian government to supply food grains as quickly as logistically possible, notwithstanding shipping line obstacles.
Starting in June, the Indian Meteorological Department predicts a near-normal monsoon season. Despite the lack of fertilisers, the aim for food grain output in 2022-23 is anticipated to be 328 million tonnes, adding to the country’s food grain surplus.
Has the services sector’s export revenues suffered as a result of the Covid lockdown, which hurt foreign travel during the last financial year?
It is true that services including tourism, aviation, and hospitality were badly impacted by the lockdown in various countries during the financial year 2021-22. Exports of other services, on the other hand, increased by more than 21% this fiscal year, reaching $250 billion for the first time, above the objective of $225 billion.
