Centre bans supply of Non-essential items by E-commerce during coronavirus lockdown

The Union Home Ministry on Sunday has issued a statement in regard to the imposing prohibition on the supply of non-essential goods through E-Commerce companies during the coronavirus lockdown. Therefore, e-commerce companies hereby need to deliver only essential items to the public without violating this rule. The clarification comes after a lot of questions were raised by the Opposition and other traders about the government's decision.

Earlier this week, the centre has exempted the E- commerce companies in it's guidelines from lockdown following which some of the states have also opted to relax e-commerce business to deliver various items. In this backdrop, the Andhra Pradesh state has also issued guidelines to exempt e-commerce companies and others from April 20 and the citizens have expressed happiness thinking that they could procure all items.

However with the latest decision from centre, the state has to restructure the guidelines. The centre has urged E-commerce companies to comply with the mandate of the Union Home Ministry. Since e-commerce delivery boys are also at high risk of spreading the coronavirus, and with the emergence of such incidents, the centre seems to have made such a decision.