The GJEPC held a meeting under the chairmanship of Shri. Anil Aggarwal, Jt. Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on 22nd September to discuss export-related issues in the gems and jewellery sector for the promotion of B2C exports through e-commerce.

The video meeting was attended by Shri. S. Suresh Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoC&I, Shri. Arun Goel, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri. Senthil Nathan S., Director, Department of Commerce, and Shri. Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC, and other Council members and DPIIT officials. 

In his opening remarks, Shri. Suresh Kumar emphasised the requirement of facilitation on the policy front to enable gems and jewellery exporters to undertake B2C exports through e-commerce. He apprised that the matter has been discussed at various levels, including the Commerce & Industries Minister, who also concurs that e-commerce is the need of the hour.

Shri. Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC, presented the background of the discussions held in various meetings with DoC, DPIIT & Department of Post (DoP) in the recent past:

• Strengths of the competition
• Requirement and objectives of a separate policy for facilitating B2C exports of gems and jewellery through e-commerce
• Identifying Key Challenges; Merits and Demerits of warehouse model
• Enablers required from CBIC, RBI and Post
• Identifying USA as the high priority market 
• Officials from the Department of Post commented that the ICEGATE linkage at Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) is in process and may be rolled out by 31st October, 2020. The DoP is also exploring possibilities of setting up an extension counter/IBC at SEZs and other ports as suggested by the GJEPC in meetings held on 15th and 18th September, 2020.

The DoP is also working upon other points related to allowing private insurance, low cost logistics mainly for the USA, the UK, Hong Kong, and the UAE as a first step, API linkage for data movement, and facilitating reverse logistics for returns.

The chair Shri. Anil Aggarwal acknowledged that the classification of jewellery as non-jewellery or general cargo may solve the issue of high logistics cost for gem and jewellery shipments originating from India.