COVID-19: MHA prohibits the supply of non-essential items through e-Commerce under lockdown restrictions

THE Union Home Secretary today wrote a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories clarifying that while the supply of non-essential goods through e-commerce remains prohibited, the supply of essential goods through e-commerce should be allowed.

The clarification came in the wake of the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today excluding the E-commerce companies from the consolated revised guidelines issued by it on April 16, 2020 whereby certain commercial and private establishment including the e-commerce were allowed to operate during the lockdown.

Under the revised guidelines, e-commerce companies supplying essential goods have been exempted from lockdown restrictions. Further, vehicles used by e-commerce companies, engaged in the supply of only essential goods, would be allowed to ply with necessary permissions.

Read the letter of the Home Secretary here: Home Secretary's letter to Chief Secretaries and Administrators regarding the exclusion of e-commerce to deliver non-essentials goods

Read the order excluding e-commerce here: Ministry of Home Affairs Order dated 19.04.2020