Indian government is setting up a National Retail Framework for small kirana stores to help them cope better with the competition from e-commerce platforms which are grazing the market rapidly.
The program includes one time registration fees, soft loans for working capital and support to adopt electronic payments. According to a government official, work has started on a national framework that states can adopt. “We are looking at issues that small shopkeepers face and how those can be addressed. We are also looking at whether they can be provided with soft loans, assistance to adopt digital payment mechanisms,” the official added.
Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said that almost 65 per cent of 70 million such stores are not digitally enabled. The traders’ body has been in the lead for complaints against e-commerce companies. The e-commerce companies said that they are compliant with the rules.