Blinkit 10-minute ambulance service: Goyal advises firm to follow law of land
New Delhi, Jan 3: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said quick-commerce companies like Blinkit, which is launching a 10-minute ambulance service, must make sure that they meet the law of the land.
Blinkit on Thursday launched a 10-minute ambulance service in select areas of Gurugram as a pilot project.
Users will be able to see the option to call for an ambulance on the Blinkit app, according to a company statement.
"As regards Blinkit doing ambulance services or medicines being delivered, my only submission would be that they have to make sure that they meet the law of the land and whatever the legal requirements should be properly taken care of. No laws of the land should be broken," Goyal told reporters when asked about the company's decision.
Asked about issues raised by small retailers about quick-commerce or e-commerce firms, he said the government is monitoring that and the CCI (Competition Commission of India) has already taken actions in some cases and wherever they found anti-competitive practices.
"As far as I know, investigative actions have also been taken on some companies, who have violated laws and misused them," he said.
Replying to a question about a sharp dip in valuations of certain unicorn startups, Goyal said there are very few such cases.
"We have been monitoring, but we did not find too many cases," he said.
He added that market forces determine the valuations and the government does not interfere in that.
"We neither interfered when Zepto becomes a unicorn in less than three years nor did we interfere if somebody's value fell...could be for mismanagement or lack of financial prudence," he said.
However, the minister added that in case of financial mismanagement or managerial incompetence, "we picked up those cases and asked the National Startup Advisory Council to study what has gone wrong and come up with some guidelines for auditors, or guidelines by which all the startups can be encouraged to be aware of such practices and investors to keep their eyes open and the council has done a good job on that".
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the council in January 2020 to advise the government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and start-ups in the country.
When asked about startups shifting bases in India, he said it is a welcome sign and also "very" satisfying that more and more startups want to come back home and register in India and possibly list in India.
It reflects on the government's decisive leadership, pro-active policies and stability.
It all has helped in making India an attractive destination, he said adding the stock market in India is one of the best performing in the world, having consistently given positive returns.
He invited feedback if any steps are required to make the journey of startups back home easier.
He informed that Startup India had several funds and budget provisions had already been made earlier and provided to SIDBI.
"So we do not need annual allocation. SIDBI is the operating agency and they keep disbursing the fund. SIDBI has also now started getting back money...Rs 1,600 crore started coming back into the SIDBIs corpus," he said.
He added that India can host more data centres because it has an ideal ecosystem to support those centres in the country.
"India is a choice of the world today because of government policies...huge investments have either come in or are on the way to come in...Everybody talks to invest in billions and not in millions," he said.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
