In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dated May 20, the Mobile Retailers Association of India (AIMRA) urged him to extend relief measures such as the six-month interest-free moratorium, zero-interest loans. guaranteed between Rs 25 lakes and Rs 1 crore with a minimum interest and a covid insurance of a value of Rs 50 lakhs at minimum premium.

The organization also sought an incentive program so that retailers could cover their ongoing expenses and ensure priority vaccination of retailers as frontline workers.

Retailers claim that the mobile phone industry is being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy due to unpaid expenses such as rentals, utility bills, bank interest and taxes, etc.

In addition, the uninterrupted delivery of non-essential products by e-commerce companies has created an unfair level of competition that keeps sales away from the offline channel.

“While the retail business remains closed and closed, these e-merchants sell and deliver non-essential products, creating an opportunity to gain customers, reducing demand for retail forcing them to close, which can lead to huge unemployment. Said Sunil Gupta, President of the State. , AIMRA Rajasthan in his letter.

The organization, representing nearly 1.5 lakh of independent mobile phone retailers across the country, reiterated its position not to treat mobile phones as essentials as opposed to demand from phone brands and platforms. forms of e-commerce like Amazon and Flipkart.