Membership Manufacturing unit was one of many 59 Chinese language apps banned by the centre on June 29
On July 14, Membership Manufacturing unit invoked the ‘force majeure’ clause and suspended funds to Indian sellers who used the platform
Membership Manufacturing unit’s sellers have been left within the lurch, with dues amounting to crores of rupees misplaced indefinitely
There’s one thing peculiar about Indian sellers. They’re the topic of a lot fanfare and celebration when the topmost functionaries of the federal government take the rostrum. “MSMEs form the backbone of the Indian economy,” goes the oft-repeated authoritative declare from numerous Union Ministers earlier than they announce fiscal packages, moratoriums, and different welfare advantages to make sure that the wheels of the Indian financial system maintain transferring.
Nonetheless, when ecommerce firms default on funds to those sellers, jeopardising the survival of their small enterprises, their considerations fall on deaf ears. Tragically, in India, ecommerce firms defaulting on funds to sellers isn’t a uncommon prevalence. Worse nonetheless, is when such a deplorable scenario for Indian sellers is, albeit partially, of the federal government’s personal making.
On June 29, India banned 59 Chinese language apps, together with common ones similar to TikTok, UC Browser, and Membership Manufacturing unit, in a transfer aimed to safeguard knowledge privateness of customers. That the ban got here within the wake of clashes between the armies of each international locations in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley meant that any scrutiny of the transfer and its presumably damaging implications was muffled by invoking the nationalist trigger which it supposedly furthered.
Within the speedy aftermath of the ban, the federal government’s pitch for forging an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ or ‘Self-Reliant India’ attained a feverish pitch. Overzealous residents interpreted the decision in their very own simplistic method and went about smashing tv units and dear digital gear made by China-based firms.
Amid the rising anti-China sentiment within the nation, Chinese language ecommerce retailer Membership Manufacturing unit — one of many 59 banned Chinese language apps — went rogue and suspended funds to Indian sellers, by invoking the ‘force majeure’ clause. In an electronic mail despatched to sellers on July 14, the corporate wrote that the federal government’s ban on Chinese language apps constituted a ‘force majeure’ or unforeseeable occasion, thus stopping the corporate from fulfilling its obligations to the Indian sellers.
One would suppose that the prevalent anti-China sentiment within the nation would have thrust the problem within the highlight. Nonetheless, barring token protection from a number of digital media portals, the sellers ready on funds from Membership Manufacturing unit haven’t discovered an outlet to element their sufferings.
To search out their elected representatives, most of the sellers took to Twitter. Since July, a whole lot of them have been tweeting concerning the monetary disaster — of loans, EMIs and pending funds to producers of the objects they used to promote — that has befallen them due to Membership Manufacturing unit suspending funds. Others’ tweets are extra worrisome, as they discuss committing suicide and blame the federal government for his or her miseries.
“The Prime Minister was talking about an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Little did we know that we’d be completely self-reliant, with no one from the government to help us in times of crisis,” says Pankaj Gaba, who used to promote Kurtis and bedsheets on Membership Manufacturing unit and is ready on funds price INR 3.31 lakhs from the Chinese language ecommerce retailer.
It wasn’t potential to determine the precise variety of sellers who’re ready on funds from Membership Manufacturing unit. The All India On-line Distributors Affiliation (AIOVA), which claims to characterize the pursuits of greater than 2,000 Indian sellers, hasn’t undertaken the train of discovering out the quantity. To its credit score, the affiliation looks as if the lone pressure urging the federal government to take discover of the scenario.
Apart from sending a authorized discover to Membership Manufacturing unit inside days after it suspended funds to sellers, the affiliation, final month, additionally wrote a criticism to the Reserve Financial institution of India (RBI), claiming that by withholding funds to sellers for greater than a month after the affirmation of deliveries, Membership Manufacturing unit had violated Part 28 of the Funds and Settlements Act, 2007.
“Thousands of small sellers whose dues are in lakhs of rupees (are) pending to be cleared. The total dues amount to crores of rupees,” AIOVA stated in its criticism to the RBI. In accordance with the AIOVA, marketplaces are certain by RBI directives to maintain the cash collected on sellers’ behalf in escrow. Additional, the ‘force majeure’ clause can’t be utilized to escrow. An escrow account is one the place funds are held in belief while two or extra events full a transaction.
Final month, Inc42 reported that 4 Indian sellers had additionally despatched a authorized discover to the Chinese language ecommerce retailer. The notices claimed that the ‘force majeure’ clause, invoked by Membership Manufacturing unit, doesn’t apply in occasions when the federal government has invoked the Catastrophe Administration Act within the nation. The discover additionally had the main points of the pending dues for every of the 4 sellers. The whole quantity in pending dues for the 4 sellers amounted to INR 2.58 Cr.
Inc42 has been capable of acquire responses from 12 extra sellers so far. Their pending dues from Membership Manufacturing unit collectively combination to round INR 2.1 Cr. Nonetheless, Inc42’s emails to Membership Manufacturing unit have yielded no reply. The AIOVA has additionally not acquired any reply from Membership Manufacturing unit to the authorized discover it despatched final month.
Simply final month, the DPIIT steadily made the information when it urged ecommerce platforms similar to Amazon and Flipkart to show the ‘country of origin’ tag on merchandise being listed on their web site. The ‘country of origin’ tag is supposed to allow prospects to make an knowledgeable determination, as additionally, to uplift Indian sellers and their merchandise towards the worldwide competitors available in the market.
Nonetheless, Inc42’s queries to the DPIIT, concerning the measures taken by the federal government to get better Indian sellers’ dues from Membership Manufacturing unit, have yielded no replies so far. Thus far, no authorities consultant has spoken on the problem, which begs the query — who’s answerable right here? Is there a governmental physique working to safeguard the pursuits of Indian sellers towards a Chinese language firm? Or is the story of Membership Manufacturing unit one other sordid addition to the lengthy record of Indian sellers being looted of their hard-earned cash by large companies which escape accountability at will.
One thing related had occurred in June final yr when Indian distributors alleged that their pending dues weren’t fulfilled by digital commerce platform HomeShop18. The preliminary rumblings of misery got here after the Community18 Media and Investments Ltd-owned HomeShop18 was acquired by one other firm referred to as SkyBlue Buildwell Non-public Restricted.
Whereas sellers had been nonetheless hopeful that their dues can be cleared, complicated statements and failure to finish funds from the brand new administration of the corporate sparked protests by a gaggle of sellers related to the HomeShop18 Distributors Affiliation, exterior the Community18 workplace in FilmCity, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The Community18 Group is owned by Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani.
Media stories from the time counsel that 200 sellers on the platform had been ready on funds collectively aggregating to INR 150-200 Cr. A yr later, HomeShop18 sellers are forlorn figures, nonetheless ready. The Twitter deal with of HomeShop18 Distributors Affiliation continues to be energetic, steadily retweeting the deal with’s posts from final yr, given the truth that the account’s tweets from June-September 2019 are as related.
Right now, one other ecommerce firm has gone rogue. Indian sellers have been left within the lurch. However the authorities has but once more, turned a blind eye to the complaints of its voters. Is there room for hope right here?
