India announced its third lockdown extension today, which will end on May 17. However, certain sectors such as eCommerce platforms will be allowed to resume operations in certain areas.
Till now, Flipkart, Amazon and other eCommerce players were allowed to deal only in essential items such as healthcare and food products. But with more students and employees shifting to a remote working environment, office supplies, stationery and electronics became increasingly important. This new ruling will bring a sigh of relief to many.
The new ruling from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) permits eCommerce companies to gradually resume selling non-essentials such as electronics. This extends to smartphones and laptops as well. However, this will be a selective rollout. Only those places with no current cases of Covid-19, demarcated as green or orange zones, will benefit from this. The restrictions will continue for red zones such as most of Mumbai and Delhi.
The government hasn’t clarified if retail stores for non-essential goods will be allowed to open. The same goes for service centres. The ruling is currently limited to online platforms only. Postal services, deliveries, couriers and other logistics will also be allowed to operate in all areas, albeit with precautions.
Gopal Jain, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India said “The central government's decision is thoughtful because basic necessities will now be available at people's doorsteps. E-commerce companies being allowed to deliver non-essential items in orange and green zone areas will be a eureka moment for students who have run out of stationery and books, who can now stock up for the coming two weeks. It will bring smiles back onto the faces of professionals who need new devices or chargers and families that need household items who will now not be required to step out onto the streets to access these items. Smooth implementation of this decision at the ground level will be of paramount importance now and local authorities will have to step up their efforts to make sure people stay home for another two weeks.”
With Flipkart and Amazon now allowed to begin, smartphone brands which had been holding on to their launches are likely to finally bring their offerings to the market. These include the Realme Narzo series, the OnePlus 8 series, the new iPhone SE, the Vivo V19, the flagship Xiaomi Mi 10 and a few more. Expect announcements from them in the coming days.
Via India Today
