Commerce Secretary, Rita Teaotia, chaired the first meeting of the Task Force on e-commerce in New Delhi. The meeting deliberated upon the suggestions emerging from the sub-group meetings held during 20^th – 22^nd June, 2018. The suggestions were on wide ranging issues such as cross border data flows, taxation, trade facilitation and logistics, consumer confidence, IPR and future tech, FDI and competition issues.

The sub-groups saw participation from various ministries and departments, high level representatives from the industry bodies, e-commerce companies, telecommunication and IT companies and independent experts.

It was decided to set up a Task Force in the first meeting of the Think Tank, on the framework for national policy on e-commerce, held on 24^th April 2018, under the chairmanship of Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation. The Task Force was further divided into nine sub-groups for preparing recommendations for India’s national policy on e-commerce.

In meeting senior officers of the Ministries of MSME, Consumer Affairs, Electronics and Information Technology, Corporate Affairs and Department of Telecommunications, Competition Commission of India and DGFT were present.

The suggestions emerging from the Task Force meeting held yesterday will be submitted to the Think Tank for consideration.

National policy on e commerce: Task Force to prepare recommendations on data flows, taxation and competition. A Task Force has been constituted to develop a national policy on e commerce, organized into nine sub groups to prepare recommendations on cross border data flows, taxation, trade facilitation and logistics, consumer confidence and protection, intellectual property and emerging technologies, foreign direct investment, and competition issues, with inputs from multiple ministries, industry representatives and experts; the Task Force's suggestions will be submitted to the Think Tank for consideration.