DIPP's RTI surprise: It has no information on e-commerce firms in India

A response that could lead to a major embarrassment for the incumbent government, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), which formulates the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy of India, said it has no information about Indian and foreign firms carrying out e-commerce in India while replying to a Right to Information (RTI) query.

Dharmendra Kumar of India FDI Watch, who filed the RTI asked five questions in which he sought names of entities, information regarding agencies with which these entities need to be registered and their compliance with rules laid out by RBI.

To this DIPP said, there is no information to furnish on the matter for first three questions while two other questions were forwarded to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

The questions were replied by Sushant Sudan, the central public information officer of DIPP.

The response from the govt body is deemed to be surprising especially when it is pertaining to their department. DIPP is responsible for formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the industrial sector. The body, according to its site, monitors industrial growth and production.

It is also responsible for facilitating and increasing the FDI inflow in the country. The Department also plays a pro-active role in the resolution of the problems faced by foreign investors in the implementation of their projects through Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA), which interacts directly with the Ministry/State Government concerned.

Kumar, who was surprised by the response, will appeal further.

Meanwhile, he also expressed his opposition to Walmart-Flipkart deal.  Walmart Flipkart deal is a backdoor entry in FDI retail and we are concerned about adverse implications for India and its people. It can lead to hampering manufacturing sector, loss of livelihood and digital sovereignty, he told Entrackr.

On Monday, around 10 lakh traders held protests across the country to protest the $16 billion Walmart-Flipkart deal.