Centre does not plan to form regulatory body for e-commerce: Goyal

New Delhi: There is no proposal under consideration of the government to constitute e-regulatory authority to regulate and monitor e-commerce business in India, Parliament was informed Wednesday.

"No such proposal is under consideration of the government to constitute e-regulatory authority to regulate and monitor e-commerce business," Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He said measures to check malpractices by e-commerce companies including predatory prices and deep discounts are laid down in the Competition Act, 2002, which also checks anti-competitive agreements, including vertical restraints.

Replying to a separate question, he said ban on import of e-cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery system is not possible unless there is a legal ban on domestic production, distribution and consumption.

He said considering that health is a state subject, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory on August 28, 2018, to all states and Union Territories to ensure that any electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn devices, vape, e-sheesha, e-nicotine flavoured hookah, and the like devices that enable nicotine delivery are not sold (including online sale), manufactured, distributed, traded, imported and advertised in their jurisdictions, except for the purpose and in the manner and to the extent, as may be approved under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Governments of 14 states, including Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Kerala, have prohibited the manufacture, distribution, import and sale of ENDS.

There is no proposal under government's consideration to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector, the Parliament was informed Wednesday.

The information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

"There is no proposal under consideration of the Government to increase FDI in multi brand retail sector in the country," he said.

India has received a FDI proposal in the sector from one foreign company of UK, he said.

According to the FDI policy, a foreign retailer can take 51 per cent stake in a domestic firm under government approval route.