Latest news with #ArindamGoswami
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Draft BIS norms spark debate over cost burden on small sellers
Live Events India's booming e-commerce sector, expected to reach $315-330 billion by 2030, is facing regulatory challenges that industry leaders warn may slow its growth a webinar hosted recently by the Policy Consensus Centre ( PCC ) on August 14, 2025, policy experts and sellers voiced a common concern: the growing web of overlapping rules, particularly the Bureau of Indian Standards ' ( BIS ) draft guidelines for retail e-commerce. While the panel acknowledged the need for consumer protection, they cautioned that the draft norms—despite their good intentions—could lead to the duplication of existing laws and increase compliance costs for small businesses. This, they warned, could ultimately undermine the very entrepreneurs the digital marketplace is meant to empower, especially those from the MSME ecosystem.E-commerce has transformed from an 'experimental curiosity' two decades ago to nearly 7% of India's retail market today, said Arindam Goswami, Co-founder and Partner, Policy Consensus Centre. But with that growth has come 'a mixed bag of overlapping and often duplicative obligations' imposed by multiple ministries and regulators. 'Overregulation of platforms will inevitably trickle down to sellers, mostly MSMEs and home-grown entrepreneurs,' Goswami stated, emphasising that regulation must be proportionate, coherent, and mindful of the realities faced by micro-sellers.A crucial aspect of the deliberation involved the draft guidelines proposed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Aimed at strengthening consumer trust through uniform practices, it has drawn a mixed response. Although the intent of the proposal garnered significant backing, the panel identified potential redundancies with current regulations outlined in the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, along with forthcoming data protection enforcement continues to be one of the most significant challenges for small sellers. 'BIS confiscations brought my business to a standstill for weeks,' said Amandeep Budhiraja, founder of Lucky Sales and brand owner of JustToyz. The high-resolution image requirement, he noted, is unworkable for household sellers who 'don't even have the equipment' for professional product shoots. A simple photo shoot can cost Rs 2,000—more than the value of many items sold also flagged practical contradictions: BIS inspectors advising traders not to open and inspect products before sale, even if returns later reveal defects, and sellers having to repeat identical tests to meet multiple standards for domestic and export markets. 'The umbrella should cover it all,' he argued, 'otherwise micro sellers can't even think of exporting.'From a legal standpoint, the question is whether BIS is straying into operational regulation better left to existing laws, according to panellists. 'Our existing rules are sufficient,' said Shashi Mathews, Partner at IndusLaw. 'With established rules already in place, adding duplicate layers of regulation serves little purpose. Platforms, as intermediaries, cannot be held fully responsible for the entire supply chain. Piling on more obligations risks pushing sellers out of the ecosystem,' he said, pressing for international reciprocity so products meeting global standards don't need duplicative Indian Yadav, Senior Manager (Public Policy) at NASSCOM, took a pragmatic line. While some provisions are duplicative, he said, others address gaps—such as explicit anti-counterfeiting measures—and should be retained. But requiring platforms to disclose material composition or environmental impact, he cautioned, is unrealistic when small sellers often lack that data.'The responsibilities need to be redistributed between platforms and sellers,' Yadav argued, adding that intermediaries like logistics providers should also be covered. He called for technology to bridge the compliance divide: 'Tech should be an ally, not create a digital cleavage between large and small players.'Dharmender Jhamb, Partner & Leader-Fintech at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, highlighted India's pioneering role in regulating 'dark patterns'—deceptive design practices that mislead users into unintended purchases. 'Transparency before a purchase, clear consent mechanisms, and robust dispute resolution are positives in the BIS draft,' he said, adding that they build trust, which is beneficial for the long-term health of e-commerce. However, Jhamb warned that small firms lack the tools to self-audit for such patterns and called for government-approved toolkits to avoid compliance BIS draft's prohibition on 'preferential treatment' by marketplaces stirred debate. Competition lawyer M.M. Sharma supported the intent, saying it could address issues like platforms promoting their private labels over independent sellers. But others noted that preferential placement is common in offline retail and argued that distinguishing between legitimate and anti-competitive preference is global trade headwinds and domestic cost pressures, panelists urged the government to use this moment to rationalise the rulebook. 'Targeted deregulation and streamlining could be the growth catalyst the sector needs,' said Goswami. The panellists further highlighted that the issue also has export implications: easing compliance for B2C shipments could open global markets to small Indian sellers, especially if AI and automation are used to meet product display and disclosure requirements at low the BIS draft still under consultation, much will depend on how the final framework balances consumer protection with ease of doing business. For an industry projected to power the next phase of India's retail growth, the outcome could define whether regulation becomes a growth enabler or a brake on innovation, panelists said. Despite diverging views on specific provisions, the panelists further converged on a few shared principles. They agreed that regulation is necessary, but it must steer clear of duplication. Consumer trust, they emphasised, rests on transparency rather than bureaucratic overload.
Economic Times
a day ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Draft BIS norms spark debate over cost burden on small sellers
iStock Growing compliance hurdles are threatening the growth trajectory of India's online retail boom, say experts. India's booming e-commerce sector, expected to reach $315-330 billion by 2030, is facing regulatory challenges that industry leaders warn may slow its growth a webinar hosted recently by the Policy Consensus Centre (PCC) on August 14, 2025, policy experts and sellers voiced a common concern: the growing web of overlapping rules, particularly the Bureau of Indian Standards' (BIS) draft guidelines for retail e-commerce. While the panel acknowledged the need for consumer protection, they cautioned that the draft norms—despite their good intentions—could lead to the duplication of existing laws and increase compliance costs for small businesses. This, they warned, could ultimately undermine the very entrepreneurs the digital marketplace is meant to empower, especially those from the MSME ecosystem. A sector at a crossroads E-commerce has transformed from an 'experimental curiosity' two decades ago to nearly 7% of India's retail market today, said Arindam Goswami, Co-founder and Partner, Policy Consensus Centre. But with that growth has come 'a mixed bag of overlapping and often duplicative obligations' imposed by multiple ministries and regulators. 'Overregulation of platforms will inevitably trickle down to sellers, mostly MSMEs and home-grown entrepreneurs,' Goswami stated, emphasising that regulation must be proportionate, coherent, and mindful of the realities faced by micro-sellers. A crucial aspect of the deliberation involved the draft guidelines proposed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Aimed at strengthening consumer trust through uniform practices, it has drawn a mixed response. Although the intent of the proposal garnered significant backing, the panel identified potential redundancies with current regulations outlined in the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, along with forthcoming data protection legislation. Enforcement without warning Sudden enforcement continues to be one of the most significant challenges for small sellers. 'BIS confiscations brought my business to a standstill for weeks,' said Amandeep Budhiraja, founder of Lucky Sales and brand owner of JustToyz. The high-resolution image requirement, he noted, is unworkable for household sellers who 'don't even have the equipment' for professional product shoots. A simple photo shoot can cost Rs 2,000—more than the value of many items sold also flagged practical contradictions: BIS inspectors advising traders not to open and inspect products before sale, even if returns later reveal defects, and sellers having to repeat identical tests to meet multiple standards for domestic and export markets. 'The umbrella should cover it all,' he argued, 'otherwise micro sellers can't even think of exporting.' Legal concerns over scope From a legal standpoint, the question is whether BIS is straying into operational regulation better left to existing laws, according to panellists. 'Our existing rules are sufficient,' said Shashi Mathews, Partner at IndusLaw. 'With established rules already in place, adding duplicate layers of regulation serves little purpose. Platforms, as intermediaries, cannot be held fully responsible for the entire supply chain. Piling on more obligations risks pushing sellers out of the ecosystem,' he said, pressing for international reciprocity so products meeting global standards don't need duplicative Indian certification. Swapnil Yadav, Senior Manager (Public Policy) at NASSCOM, took a pragmatic line. While some provisions are duplicative, he said, others address gaps—such as explicit anti-counterfeiting measures—and should be retained. But requiring platforms to disclose material composition or environmental impact, he cautioned, is unrealistic when small sellers often lack that data.'The responsibilities need to be redistributed between platforms and sellers,' Yadav argued, adding that intermediaries like logistics providers should also be covered. He called for technology to bridge the compliance divide: 'Tech should be an ally, not create a digital cleavage between large and small players.'Dharmender Jhamb, Partner & Leader-Fintech at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, highlighted India's pioneering role in regulating 'dark patterns'—deceptive design practices that mislead users into unintended purchases. 'Transparency before a purchase, clear consent mechanisms, and robust dispute resolution are positives in the BIS draft,' he said, adding that they build trust, which is beneficial for the long-term health of e-commerce. However, Jhamb warned that small firms lack the tools to self-audit for such patterns and called for government-approved toolkits to avoid compliance BIS draft's prohibition on 'preferential treatment' by marketplaces stirred debate. Competition lawyer M.M. Sharma supported the intent, saying it could address issues like platforms promoting their private labels over independent sellers. But others noted that preferential placement is common in offline retail and argued that distinguishing between legitimate and anti-competitive preference is global trade headwinds and domestic cost pressures, panelists urged the government to use this moment to rationalise the rulebook. 'Targeted deregulation and streamlining could be the growth catalyst the sector needs,' said Goswami. The panellists further highlighted that the issue also has export implications: easing compliance for B2C shipments could open global markets to small Indian sellers, especially if AI and automation are used to meet product display and disclosure requirements at low cost. Way forward With the BIS draft still under consultation, much will depend on how the final framework balances consumer protection with ease of doing business. For an industry projected to power the next phase of India's retail growth, the outcome could define whether regulation becomes a growth enabler or a brake on innovation, panelists said. Despite diverging views on specific provisions, the panelists further converged on a few shared principles. They agreed that regulation is necessary, but it must steer clear of duplication. Consumer trust, they emphasised, rests on transparency rather than bureaucratic overload.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Operation Sindoor: The weapons that gave India the edge
Written by Arindam Goswami and Vikrant Shinde Operations Sindoor and Bunyan Marsoos constituted a sharp and intense three-day engagement and yielded significant lessons on the infusion of technology into warfighting. The contest played out across multiple domains: diplomacy, economy, military, and information. The military aspect spanned non-kinetic, kinetic, contact, and non-contact engagements. India and Pakistan appear to have drawn lessons from the Balakot strikes (India) and Operation Swift Retort (Pakistan), as well as from ongoing wars in West Asia and Eastern Europe. Both armed forces, equipped with inventories from opposing blocs — India with Russian, French, US, and indigenous platforms, and Pakistan with Chinese, US, and Turkish systems — have grappled with the challenges of restricted cross-platform integration going into this engagement. Both air forces were acutely aware of the challenges of employing air power in a contested air defence (AD) environment. The nature of the conflict did not allow the luxury of time to shape the air situation through dedicated Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) or Destruction of Enemy Air Defences (DEAD). Consequently, both air forces sought to operate outside each other's AD bubbles using a variety of beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles (AAMs), such as the US-made AMRAAM and Chinese PL-15 (by the PAF), and the Meteor (by the IAF), alongside air-to-ground munitions such as air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) including SCALP and HAMMER employed by the IAF. The employment of kinetic strikes deep into Pakistan, dominated by air power from the outset, had the potential to escalate rapidly and uncontrollably. India's reliance on precision targeting facilitated escalation control by minimising collateral damage, thereby providing Pakistan with an off-ramp. Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology was another important factor in modern air combat capability. Unlike older passive electronically scanned array (PESA) systems, AESA radars offer superior target detection and tracking, as well as enhanced resistance to jamming. The ability to simultaneously track multiple targets while maintaining a low probability of interception provides a significant combat advantage. This combination affords aircraft equipped with AESA systems a decisive edge in air-to-air engagements. India currently faces a modest capability gap in this domain. It possesses only around 30–40 AESA-equipped aircraft, primarily Rafales and a limited number of Su-30MKIs with upgraded AESA radars. In contrast, Pakistan fields over 70 AESA-equipped aircraft, including approximately 20 J-10CEs and around 45–50 JF-17 Block III jets fitted with the KLJ-7A AESA radar. These JF-17 Block III fighters are integrated with advanced PL-15 air-to-air missiles, significantly enhancing their BVR combat effectiveness. Similarly, the J-10C aircraft are also equipped with PL-15 missiles. This technological disparity creates a potential vulnerability in India's air defence posture. However, India has made notable strides in addressing this imbalance. The acquisition of Rafale fighters has been particularly impactful. These aircraft can track over 40 targets and engage multiple threats simultaneously — a capability that far exceeds that of the Su-30MKI's PESA N011M Bars radar, which can track approximately 15 targets and engage up to four. Thus, the Rafale jets, equipped with the RBE2 AESA radar and Meteor missiles (with ranges exceeding 150 km), provide a distinct advantage in radar capability, missile range, and electronic warfare over Pakistan's JF-17s and J-10CEs. The most significant enhancement to India's air defence capability, however, came through the 'Akashteer' AD management system and the IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS). The legacy systems included IGLA Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS), and Bofors L-70 guns — both of which have been significantly upgraded with radar, electro-optical sensors, and auto-tracking systems, including the Soviet-origin Schilka. The advanced AD systems fielded included the indigenous Akash (SRSAM), the Barak (MRSAM) developed jointly with Israel, and the S-400 (LRSAM), one of the most advanced AD systems in the world. India also deployed indigenous Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), developed by BEL and private industry, capable of both soft-kill electronic warfare techniques (such as jamming and spoofing) and hard-kill options using directed energy weapons like lasers. These systems were extensively used to counter incursions by surveillance and combat drones. Drones were deployed extensively by both sides to saturate the airspace and test air defence systems. The use of HAROP loitering munitions to target radars created potential gaps in AD coverage during the early stages. These munitions combine the features of UAVs and missiles, equipped with electro-optical (EO), infrared (IR), forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensors, colour CCD cameras, and anti-radiation homing capabilities. HAROPs can loiter in a designated area for up to nine hours. Due to their immunity to GNSS jamming, they are largely resistant to electronic warfare attacks. Their relatively low cost and expendability make them likely candidates as weapons of choice in future 'no-war, no-peace' scenarios. The writers are research analysts at the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru
