In India, Amazon took the lead to provide relief amidst of rampaging COVID-19 wave II, because of alleged predatory pricing, unfair competition, and constant dalliance to land laws. Amazon will coordinate ventilator distributions from the US to India under the USIBC heading, according to the US-India Business Council (USIBC) officials. Amazon Inc. brought 100 ventilators for distribution in India, as an initial step (USD 30,000-USD 40,000). It has offered other USIBC members to handle the logistics for its own cost of any ventilators, the US companies wish to send to India.
Amazon announced the addition to hospitals and public institutions of 1,500 oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines in Singapore. In collaboration with the Temasek Foundation, ACT Grants, and Pune Platform COVID-19 response another 8,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines had been introduced (Principles and Practice Clinical Research). Amazon also bore the cost of transporting the latter via Air India and other carriers from Singapore. The agency will also distribute local logistics to local hospitals and institutions in India from airports.
“Unimaginably COVID-19 has severely affected India. Our global logistics network helps us to air quickly and secure the necessary oxygen concentrators to support the immediate needs of the country. We continue to explore other important ways to save lives and commit ourselves in this time of crisis to support the nation”, said Amit Agarwal, Global SVP and Country Head of Amazon India.
Amazon goes through a rough patch in India. In February, the global retail giant was struck by internal documents revealing that the company changed its corporate structure to avoid guidelines from Indian governments, for regulating e-commerce actors and protecting small traders. The internal documents demonstrated that Amazon favoured a small seller’s cabal. Amazon has paid them discount fees and helped one custom deal with big tech producers and more than 35 percent of total sales to two sellers until 2019.
The Directorate of Enforcement said it would consider the allegations made against Amazon, that these developments were not completely new for Amazon, without further details being disclosed. Amazon replied that the allegations were unfounded, incomplete, factually incorrect.
“Internal documents even included a briefing note prepared, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi that simple, logical, and straightforward and not an intellectual who will be relied on strong governance and administration to govern him”, said Jay Carney, Former white house press secretary.
For alleged infringement of foreign investment rules, Amazon is already on the ED scanner. The company faced a test of disrupting markets for offline retailers, with steep discounts in January by the Indian Competition Commission together with Walmart-owned Flipkart. The probe was stopped in the February.
In April 2020, the Amazon Relief Fund was launched in India, which provides support for all eligible individuals, with USD 25 million relief fund for partners. Qualifying persons who have been quarantined or diagnosed with COVID-19 can use ARF. Amazon India promotes COVID-19 treatment, searching for hospitals, and coverage of COVID-19 tests prescribed. Initiatives to address the prevailing situation have been scaled and developed.
