Govt, industry discuss new ecommerce rules

The government has initiated "detailed interactions" with companies and industry associations that had sent suggestions on the proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.

"We have started the process of consultation two weeks ago and it will culminate soon," consumer affairs secretary Leena Nandan said on Tuesday, without specifying any timeline for the final rules to come out.

Ecommerce is a dynamic and evolving sector and the government is trying to keep pace with it. The final rules will come out only after the process of consultation is completed, Nandan added.


The department released the draft amendments to the ecommerce rules in June. In July last year, the government notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, under Section 101 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The proposed guidelines seek to strengthen consumer protection and tighten rules for ecommerce marketplaces, including barring entities affiliated to those marketplaces from selling on the platforms and restricting flash sales.