The government has set up an advisory council to identify measures required to design and accelerate the adoption of open network for digital commerce in India.
The council will include RS Sharma, CEO of National Health Authority, Nandan Nilekani, Non-Executive Chairman of Infosys and Praveen Khandelwal, secretary-general of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), among others.
Open network for digital commerce is expected to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics and enhance value for consumers.
The government is trying its hands on creating a one-stop-shop for all things needed by the customers. People will be able to order grocery, food, medicine, book hotels or even lab tests all under one umbrella.
Marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato, BigBasket and Grofers will have to register themselves on the platform which will be created by the government.
The crucial thing about this entity will be that no customer will be required to register on individual apps to avail their services.
The advisory council is expected to have its first meeting in a week, a person privy to the development told Moneycontrol requesting anonymity.
"Once a customer will post her requirement, the platform will provide instant replies from various portals offering their service with charges mentioned. The customer will then be able to go to a particular portal of her choice where she can place the order," said the person quoted above.
This happens at a time when the government has also been trying to amend Consumer Protection Rules for the e-commerce sector in India.
The proposed rules have received criticisms with companies claiming it to be confusing and full of inconsistency.
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