Govt moots regulator to keep tab on parcel delivery system
New Delhi: If you have ever been a victim of courier delivery frauds, this piece of information may help you in 'reducing' your future woes as the government has mooted an idea to establish a regulatory mechanism to put a check on ill practices in the parcel delivery system and address the grievances of customers belonging to every section of the society.
As Covid-19 pandemic has changed the shopping pattern of the people and online purchasing has become a part of life, the number of e-commerce portals has increased manifold in the country. More online shopping means more package deliveries for consumers resulting in more chances of courier delivery frauds.
Keeping this in mind, the government is holding brainstorming sessions with different stakeholders, including major private players, to prepare a Vision Document for 2047 to conduct a gap analysis of domestic capabilities (both domestic and private) vis-a-vis the most advanced international capabilities across sectors in light of emerging challenges and opportunities.
The Department of Post (DoP), which is the oldest delivery arm of the government's services, has been tasked to lead in preparing the proposed Vision Document for 2047. Being a nodal agency, the DoP is holding consultative meetings with big-wigs of the parcel industry.
After holding several sounds of discussion, the draft document would be put in the public domain for the comments of the people. It would be enacted into law through a legislation process. Notably, as of now, there is no nodal agency to keep a tab on the activities of players engaged in parcel delivery.
"It's a fact that people have started using online shopping platforms to purchase their every essential item such as groceries, clothes, electronic items, utensils, fruits and vegetables, poultry products, etc. Till a customer don't become a victim of the courier delivery frauds, a customer hardly complain about e-commerce activities and when a shopping enthusiast falls prey to fraudsters, then that customer didn't find any platform to escalate their grievances," a government official said.
"The idea behind stabling a centralised mechanism for parcel delivery is to address the grievances of aggrieved customers as well as service providers," the official said, adding that in India, the parcel and e-commerce delivery business is mainly in the hands of private players – both home-grown and multinational.
During the brainstorming sessions, concerned stakeholders would discuss drafting a national policy for parcel delivery entities, notification of national policy for parcel delivery entities, the introduction of a bill for amendments to the Indian Post Office Act 1898 for introducing the concept of self-regulation for couriers and parcel delivery entities, admission of private parcel delivery entities in UPU, development of at least 5 Unicorn start-ups in parcel delivery sector, etc.
