In a very drastic move, which was much needed, Govt of India has regulated, and fixed the price of hand sanitizers, and face masks for all shop keepers, brands and customers. As per the new notification, hand sanitizers cannot be sold for more than Rs 100 per 200ML. Whereas 3-ply face masks cannot be sold for more than Rs 10, and 2-ply face masks for Rs 8. These price regulations and the cap have been imposed under the Essential Commodities Act, and in case any shopkeeper attempts to sell hand sanitizers and face masks more than these price limits, then action can be taken against them.

Even as the online food delivery services sector in India continues to grow on the back of a growing customer base, the customers’ grievances concerning the hygiene and quality standards of food have also increased. As per recent Government data, customer grievances in the current FY20 are heading towards a 100 percent increase as compared to FY19. In figures, the number of complaints filed with the National Consumer Helpline has risen from 1,053 in FY19 to 1,955 till January FY20, as per the data shared by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution MoS Danve Raosaheb Dadarao in Rajya Sabha earlier this month. The figures reveal an 85 percent increase from FY19.

Amazon on Wednesday beefed up paid leave for workers quarantined due to the novel coronavirus or diagnosed with the COVID-19 illness. The company also announced the creation of an Amazon Relief Fund -- starting at $25 million -- to serve as a pool of grant money for independent delivery drivers, seasonal employees and others losing paychecks due to the pandemic, according to the global internet retailer. "Effective immediately, all Amazon employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay," the firm said in an online post.

A Paytm employee in Gurugram has tested positive for novel coronavirus, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. It said the employee had recently returned from a vacation in Italy, one of the worst-hit countries from coronavirus. Paytm has advised all its employees to work from home for the next couple of days while the Gurugram unit gets sanitized, according to the statement. The company also decided to shut its offices in Gurugram and Noida for at least two days after one of its employees who had recently travelled to Italy was tested positive with COVID-19.

The coronavirus scare has taken a toll on the availability of masks in the retail market as pharmacies find themselves grappling with shortages. “There aren’t enough masks in the market. If you want to buy one, you can take it or leave it," a Times of India report quoted shopkeepers in Delhi as saying. Surgical masks have seen an escalation of 300 percent. They used to cost Rs 10 but now are available for Rs 40, the report said. Prices of N95 masks, sanitizers have also shot up. Local shopkeepers are left with stocks being provided by domestic manufacturers of masks as supplies from China are disrupted due to widespread shutdown that has impacted global supply chains.

The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) has ordered Samsung to pay up Rs 37.85 lakhs for not passing on the benefits of lower goods and services tax (GST) rate to consumers on televisions. The authority noted, “The prices of the products affected by the rate reduction were not decreased commensurately, hence violating section 171(1) of the CGST Act 2017,” in its order dated February 27. The NAA further said in its order that Samsung India had increased prices for appropriating the tax reduction 'with the intention of denying the benefit to consumers.' The GST Council has reduced rates on LED/LCD TV sets to 18% from 28% from January 1, 2019.

The online retailing giant is opening its first cashier-less supermarket, where shoppers can grab milk or eggs and walk out without waiting in line or ever opening their wallets. It’s the latest sign that Amazon is serious about shaking up the $800 billion grocery industry. At the new store, which opened last week in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, shoppers scan a smartphone app to enter the store. Cameras and sensors track what’s taken off shelves. Items are charged to an Amazon account after leaving.

HDFC Bank on Tuesday launched its ‘Secure Banking 2.0’ programme to sensitise its customers on measures to prevent online frauds. The initiative will be rolled out in 10 branches in Visakhapatnam and the bank will educate people on 12 types of fraud involving digital banking transactions. It will cover change in payment landscape, evolving bank frauds, modus operandi of frauds, tracking suspicious transactions and ‘#SecureBanker’, said R.V.G. Kulkarni, Zonal Head (A.P. & Telangana), HDFC Bank at a function held to mark the launching of the initiative. The workshops are open to all. In addition to the branches, various other channels such as ATM screens, banking app, and websites will be used to spread awareness on secure banking.

Amazon India has launched a new program to bring more women back into the workplace. Rekindle 2.0 as this initiative has been called, will be rolled out at its Bengaluru office, followed by other cities in India. The company has over 62,000 employees in India, and diversity is an important thrust area for Amazon, said Deepti Varma, Director, HR – India and EMEA, Amazon. “Rekindle is aimed at women who have taken a break and need help coming back to work. This will have a lot more flexibility and coaching for them,” she said. Prospective employees will start with working on projects or assignments which can be managed part-time to ease them into working in a full-time role. The company has selected specific jobs or roles across different functions to launch this program, said Varma.

Paytm is asking users to uninstall apps like TeamViewer and AnyDesk. Recently, it was reported that fraudsters were able to con a Paytm customer based in Mumbai about Rs 1,72,000 by simply asking them to update their KYC details. When the victim tried to upload his KYC details, he was asked to download the TeamViewer app. In the midst of fraud and spams, Paytm is now taking matters in its own hands and blocking its customers from using the service as long as they have TeamViewer installed on their phones. As a result of the recent fraud, Paytm’s developers have blacklisted multiple TeamViewer apps. Paytm is now suggesting users uninstall the TeamViewer app before using their services.

Avast, which makes free antivirus software that's used by millions of people around the world, is reportedly selling "highly sensitive" web browsing data via a subsidiary company called Jumpshot. The software appears to track users clicks and movements across the web, and collects data on things like searches on Google and Google Maps, as well as visits to specific LinkedIn pages, YouTube vids and porn websites, according to an investigation published by Motherboard and PCMag. The collected data is then reportedly repackaged and sold by Jumpshot, which says on its website that it's able to deliver data on users actions behind "the Internet's most valuable walled gardens."

Flipkart group is likely to acquire the loss-making wholesale cash-and-carry business of its parent US retail giant Walmart in India. The move comes shortly after talks with the Tata Group, which was looking to pick up a stake in Walmart India, made no headway. Sources said the Flipkart group, which operates Flipkart and Myntra, is looking at a reverse acquisition of the B2B segment of Walmart and it will function as a subsidiary of the group. Flipkart is expanding its footprint in the online food and grocery segment and the acquisition of the B2B business provides strength to the supply chain.

Consumers buying winter fashion and lifestyle products on Flipkart will get less time to return products as the Walmart-owned e-tailer is tightening its returns policy. Flipkart is reducing the returns window for the segment to 10 days, from 30 days earlier, suspecting fraud orders by consumers, resulting in a ‘drastic rise’ in returns. Flipkart has communicated the change to its merchants selling these goods. This is the first such change in its returns policy with a direct impact on consumers under the new parent Walmart. Fashion is one of the top three categories driving its gross sales alongside smartphones and large appliances. In terms of margins, fashion offers the highest for e-tailers, including Flipkart.

More than 20,000 offline retailers have told India’s top smartphone makers — Xiaomi and Samsung — that they will boycott the two brands if there’s no stop to deep discounting and aligning with e-commerce players. In similar but separate letters dated January 10, the All India Mobile Retailers’ Association (AIMRA) also said that if deep discounting continued online, brick-and-mortar retailers could also “simply deduct the difference and sell at online prices.” Offline mobile traders are fighting against exclusive deals between brands and e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon and demanding simultaneous offline launch of products at the same price.

Coffee Day Enterprises (CDEL) has defaulted on payments of interest on loans from banks, financial institutions and unlisted debt securities in the December quarter, signalling a continuing liquidity squeeze. The company had a loan outstanding of Rs 489 crore in the quarter and it defaulted on interest payment of Rs 9.4 crore. It is expected to get some respite after its lenders give the nod for the deal with Blackstone and developer Salarpuria Sattva for CDEL's technology park, Global Village, in Bengaluru for Rs 2,700 crore.