It seems like e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart have run into a roadblock right at the beginning of the festive season. The Indian Government has issued a notice to the two platforms for not displaying the mandatory declarations.
This comes at a time when both Amazon and Flipkart are right in the middle of their festive sale week. For Amazon, it is The Great Indian Sale that began on October 17, while for Flipkart it’s the Big Billion Days Sale that began on October 16.
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Amazon and Flipkart: Rules violated
According to the notice issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Amazon and Flipkart violated Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules of 2011.
The government issued a notice to the two e-commerce platforms dated October 16, 2020, for not displaying mandatory information. This includes country of origin, on specific products sold on their platforms. The department has asked the states to ensure compliance of the rules and regulations by the e-commerce platforms.
In the notices served, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, mentioned that the discrepancy was noticed after the body inspected the relevant advertisements.
“It has been brought into notice that some of the e-commerce entities are not displaying the mandatory declaration on digital platforms required under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.” read the notice.
As for Amazon and Flipkart, neither company has made any statement on the present issue. The Department of Consumer Affairs has mandated that the platforms need to reply within 15 days to avoid further action against them.
According to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, e-commerce platforms must make declarations on the country of origin. The exception is the month and year of the manufacture or packaging of the commodity.
