Mumbai, April 28: E-commerce giants Amazon India and Flipkart on Tuesday urged the Indian government to allow delivery all the items during the lockdown and not just only the essential ones. The e-commerce giants promised to follow all the necessary safety measures while delivering the products. Amit Agarwal, Country Head, Amazon India, said that e-commerce the safest way to ensure social distancing and it would help in reviving MSME. MHA Clarifies on Midnight Order: Sale of Liquor, Tobacco, Cigarettes Remains Banned, E-commerce Companies Allowed to Deliver Essential Items Only.

He also shared an image of delivery parcels kept at a distance emphasising the importance of social distancing amid coronavirus outbreak across the globe. Agarwal tweeted, “E-commerce offers the safest way to ensure social distancing, saving lives and livelihoods. We urge the govt to allow us to deliver all products (not just essentials) that citizens need over a prolonged period so that they can stay safe, while simultaneously jump-starting MSMEs.”

Amit Agarwal's Tweet:

Meanwhile, Flipkart said that allowing the delivery of non-essential goods delivery will help meet consumer demand and would also reduce the burden of the MSMEs as the good produced have piled up in their inventory due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Other e-commerce portals, including Shopclues and Paytm also urged the government for expanding the list of essential items. They requested the Centre to include products like laptops and routers in the list. Catch Live Updates of Coronavirus Here:

Earlier this month, the government allowed selective standalone shops in the neighbourhood to open in the non-containment zones. The Centre in its order stated that shops in malls would continue to remain shut till May 3. It also reiterated that e-commerce websites would not be allowed to delivery non-essential items.

Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India rose to 29,435 on Tuesday with 62 deaths and 1,543 new cases in last 24 hours. Of the total cases, 21,632 are active cases while 6868 individuals have been cured and discharged from the hospitals. The death toll has mounted to 934.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2020 03:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).