Panel urges plan to help local vendors build ONDC-compatible technical tool

Says no clarity on ONDC network's liability in case a consumer is delivered substandard products; local businesses will also find it hard to compete with e-commerce giants

The Parliamentary standing committee on commerce has urged the industry department to develop a concrete strategy to help local businesses design a technical tool compatible with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) protocols, which will help in moving closer to the government’s goal of digital onboarding of these small businesses.

While the committee said in a report that the industry department’s initiative to launch ONDC is ‘ambitious and revolutionary’, it pointed out a few gaps that need to be fixed in order to make ONDC a success.

It pointed out that smooth onboarding of the existing digital commerce apps