Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised the need to protect small traders and retailers from the negative impacts of predatory pricing by large e-commerce platforms. She reiterated the government's commitment to preserve the interests of small businesses amid rising competition from quick commerce giants.

“It's important to take care of small traders and retailers. Not because they are BJP sympathisers, but because this country needs support for small traders,” Sitharaman said at the News18 India Chaupal event.

She stressed that if the businesses of small retailers are being harmed by predatory pricing strategies, their interests need to be safeguarded. "The Commerce Ministry is looking into it," she said.

Her comments echo Trade and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s concerns voiced earlier in August, where he warned against celebrating the rapid rise of e-commerce.

“The massive growth of e-commerce is not a matter of pride but a matter of concern,” Goyal had said, adding that the decline of small traders is alarming and highlights an imbalance between small and large retailers.

The All-India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) had also expressed concern, calling for government scrutiny over the unchecked growth of quick commerce companies like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Flipkart Minutes. “The growth of these companies is impacting the lives of millions of small retailers,” the AICPDF had stated, urging action to protect their livelihoods.