Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia will chair a meeting of the taskforce on e-commerce on Friday to take inputs for the proposed policy framework for the sector from other Ministries and Departments, including finance, information technology & telecom and consumer affairs.

The taskforce has been set up to suggest a framework for a comprehensive e-commerce policy by the end of August and submit it to the e-commerce thinktank led by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu.

“The Commerce Ministry has had discussions with the nine sub-groups set up to examine different aspects of the proposed policy. After the other Ministries and Departments give their inputs of Friday, the policy framework would be further fine-tuned,” a government official told BusinessLine .

Sub-group tasks

The first sub-group is working on issues including cross border transfer of information by electronic means, data protection and location of computing facilities, the second on digital product, custom duties and taxation, the third on trade facilitation measures and logistics while the fourth is working on measures enhancing consumer confidence.

The fifth sub-group focusses on protection of IP and contours of future technology such as AI and block chain, the sixth on payment systems and financial technologies, the seventh on interconnection issues and net neutrality while the seven and eighth are working on skills, education and training and SMEs and FDI and competition issues respectively.

The taskforce would give suggestions on key issues such as the scope of taxation on electronic transmission of goods and services including 3D printing, implication of General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) on e-commerce, behaviour of current market players in e-commerce and anti-competitive practices policy and creating fair balance between online and physical marketplaces.

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