<p class="title">E-commerce majors Flipkart and Amazon on Thursday said they are monitoring their platforms to ensure sellers do not offer e-cigarettes to comply with the government's ban on such cigarettes in the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The government has issued an Ordinance to ban e-cigarettes, making the production, import, export, transport, sale or advertisements of such "alternative" smoking devices a cognisable offense attracting jail term and fine.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US-based e-commerce giant Amazon said products listed for sale on Amazon.in are owned and/or sold by such third-party sellers, and the sellers are themselves responsible for compliance with all applicable laws.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Tobacco products, including Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), commonly known as electronic cigarette/ e-cigarettes, is not allowed to be listed or sold on Amazon.in as per Amazon policy," it said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The statement added that Amazon.in has certain checks in place to ensure restricted and prohibited products do not get listed, and sellers are educated regarding the same.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"However, in case of sellers list such products evasively and the same is brought to our knowledge, Amazon.in delists such products and takes appropriate enforcement action against such sellers," it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A Flipkart spokesperson said the company was aware of the Ordinance and had immediately alerted its teams to work with sellers to remove all such products off the platform.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We will continue to monitor the listings to ensure that these products are not available on the platform," the spokesperson added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to the Ordinance, first-time violators will face a jail term of up to one year or a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both. Subsequent offenses will attract a jail term of up to three years or a fine of Rs 5 lakh or both.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The storage of e-cigarettes shall now be punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to Rs 50,000 or both.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the Cabinet had decided to ban e-cigarettes and similar products as they pose a health risk to people, especially the youth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, e-cigarettes promoting trade bodies, users and other stakeholders slammed the government's move to ban "alternative" smoking device through the Ordinance route, alleging it was a "draconian" step taken in haste to protect the conventional cigarette industry. </p>
<p class="title">E-commerce majors Flipkart and Amazon on Thursday said they are monitoring their platforms to ensure sellers do not offer e-cigarettes to comply with the government's ban on such cigarettes in the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The government has issued an Ordinance to ban e-cigarettes, making the production, import, export, transport, sale or advertisements of such "alternative" smoking devices a cognisable offense attracting jail term and fine.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US-based e-commerce giant Amazon said products listed for sale on Amazon.in are owned and/or sold by such third-party sellers, and the sellers are themselves responsible for compliance with all applicable laws.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Tobacco products, including Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), commonly known as electronic cigarette/ e-cigarettes, is not allowed to be listed or sold on Amazon.in as per Amazon policy," it said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The statement added that Amazon.in has certain checks in place to ensure restricted and prohibited products do not get listed, and sellers are educated regarding the same.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"However, in case of sellers list such products evasively and the same is brought to our knowledge, Amazon.in delists such products and takes appropriate enforcement action against such sellers," it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A Flipkart spokesperson said the company was aware of the Ordinance and had immediately alerted its teams to work with sellers to remove all such products off the platform.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We will continue to monitor the listings to ensure that these products are not available on the platform," the spokesperson added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to the Ordinance, first-time violators will face a jail term of up to one year or a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both. Subsequent offenses will attract a jail term of up to three years or a fine of Rs 5 lakh or both.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The storage of e-cigarettes shall now be punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to Rs 50,000 or both.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the Cabinet had decided to ban e-cigarettes and similar products as they pose a health risk to people, especially the youth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, e-cigarettes promoting trade bodies, users and other stakeholders slammed the government's move to ban "alternative" smoking device through the Ordinance route, alleging it was a "draconian" step taken in haste to protect the conventional cigarette industry. </p>