In Brief: DPIIT asks etailers to send a list of WFH essentials; Amazon expands grocery delivery

The department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) has asked ecommerce companies to provide a list of essentials that they consider necessary during the lockdown, The Economic Times reported. DPIIT has already included staples and pharmaceuticals on the list, the report said. E-commerce companies have shown interest in delivering work from home (WFH) essentials like routers, chargers, stationery, laptops, and tablets. The development comes shortly after the government made a U-turn on its decision to allow delivery of non-essential items on Sunday. 

Read: Govt reinstates prohibition of non-essential delivery by ecommerce cos till May 3

Govt to roll-out scheme for gig workers during Covid-19 crisis

The government has picked up its pace in planning social security for gig economy workers and those in the unorganised sectors, The Economic Times reported. The report added that the labour ministry is planning to provide minimum social security, including pension, provident fund, health insurance, and unemployment benefits (conditional) to such workers. 

Read: India extends lockdown by three weeks; guidelines to assist migrants, daily wage workers soon

Amazon India expands grocery delivery to 64 cities

Seattle headquartered ecommerce giant Amazon’s India unit has expanded its grocery delivery services, the Economic Times reported. The company has started in 64 cities including Amritsar, Belgaum, Coimbatore, Lucknow, and Salem, among others up from 18 cities that it was operating in until Thursday. The report said that the company will prioritise on delivering existing orders, while new purchases may take five to eight days. Amazon Pantry, which was operating in 100 cities before the lockdown, had paused its services for about three weeks. 

Read: Amazon revises seller commissions, increases logistics costs

Grofers lays off nearly 70 employees amid losses caused by lockdown 

Online grocery delivery platform Grofers has laid off 50-70 employees from its offline sales and beauty business divisions for three months, The Economic Times reported. This move is in line with losses in business due to the Covid-19 crisis. 

Read: BigBasket, Grofers partially resume grocery delivery services

Industrial goods marketplace Moglix forays into the UK and European markets

Online business-to-business (B2B) industrial goods marketplace Moglix has entered into the UK and European markets, The Entrackr reported. Operated by Noida-based Moglilabs, the company procures industrial products and largely caters to the manufacturing sector, focusing on automotive, metals, mining, and fast-moving consumer durables. Founder of Moglix, Rahul Garg announced the launch of operations in the UK and Europe, the report added.

Read: Former Timken India executive joins Moglix as vice president

China asks India to revision its new FDI rules 

China has called the new foreign direct investment (FDI) rules a violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) principles of non-discrimination and against free and fair trade, The Entrackr reported. Fintech platform Paytm, ride-hailing serviceOla, food aggregator startups Zomato and Swiggy, online grocery provider BigBasket, and e-learning firm Byju’s are some of the top companies that have secured investments from Chinese companies.