e-CAB for increased capacity of Digital Commerce Cell

To resolve the ongoing crisis in the country’s e-commerce industry, the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh suggested increasing capacity of Digital Commerce Cell and enhancing it with appropriate technology to detect frauds.

The suggestion came in the association’s six-point recommendation submitted to the commerce ministry on Wednesday. The association general secretary Muhammad Abdul Wahed Tomal placed recommendations.

“We were vocal about these proposals for long. We submitted the proposals at the meeting of the commerce ministry today. Realising the importance of the demands, officials of the ministry said all of these will be realised in time,” Jahangir Alam Shovon, general manager of e-cab, told The Business post.

The proposals read, it is important to activate the Digital Commerce Cell of the Ministry of Commerce, increase its workforce and recruit human resources with knowledge of information technology, and using artificial intelligence when needed. There may be a separate unit called the “Artificial Intelligence Unit”, it said.

The association also recommended forming Risk Factor Management Committee, Technical Committee, and Advisory Committee as stipulated in the Digital Commerce Policy-2018, and introduction of automatic escrow service through the Bangladesh Bank.

Delivery and logistics aggregator platform need to be created by connecting through Postal Division. If necessary, it can be connected to the escrow service, the recommendations added.

The Central Digital Complaints Management System should be developed through the Ministry of Commerce or the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, it said.

The DNCRP or the Bangladesh Competition Commission, by exercising their powers to remedy the problems, can take immediate action against the accused and, if found guilty, bring them under the law and punish them as per the prevailing law of the country.

The association also recommended confiscating the properties of the accused traders and making arrangements to pay the dues of the affected customers and merchants by them.