New Whitepaper Charts Roadmap to Mainstream Direct Selling in India’s Internal Trade Ecosystem
New Delhi, 1st November, 2025: Aakhya India, a leading communications and public policy research organization, released its latest whitepaper at a high-level roundtable on “Internal Trade & Micro-Retailing: Achieving Inclusive Growth and Last-mile Empowerment” in New Delhi. Special keynotes were delivered by Dr. Sasmit Patra, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Mr. Sanjeet Singh, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog, with the event bringing together several senior government officials, domain experts, and industry leaders to discuss the future of inclusive and resilient domestic commerce in India.
Discussing the suggestions from the report, the speakers emphasized the need to bring the direct selling sector within the scope of India’s internal trade architecture, overseen by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
In his address, Dr. Sasmit Patra, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), said, “Direct selling is a crucial sector of the consumer economy, with a market size of over ₹22,000 crore and the livelihoods it generates, in light of our vision for a Viksit Bharat and the $5 trillion economy. Discussions like these are essential to explore how governance mechanisms can be made more facilitative, enhance ease of doing business, and help bring in better and more effective policies and legislations.”
Acknowledging the direct selling industry’s journey in India, Sanjeet Singh, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog, said, “Direct Selling’s strength lies in its inherent design of inclusion. Its role in women’s economic empowerment, rural reach, and livelihood creation makes it an important pillar of socio-economic growth. The Government of India took a landmark step by notifying the Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules, 2021. Sustainable progress, however, requires vigilance to protect consumer interests and maintain industry integrity. Further, NITI Aayog is currently undertaking a comprehensive exercise, which is expected to conclude soon, as a significant step towards enhancing Ease of Doing Business.”
The roundtable featured deliberations among representatives from NITI Aayog, think tanks, legal domain experts, FICCI, CII and industry associations, reaffirming the sector’s role in advancing inclusive, women-led entrepreneurship and economic resilience.
Welcoming the initiative and speaking on the need for the industry’s formal recognition, Rajat Banerji, Chairperson, FICCI Direct Selling Taskforce, said, “Direct selling bridges formal and informal retail, offering millions of Indians a dignified pathway to livelihood generation and growth through upskilling and entrepreneurial pursuits. These engagements between government and industry stakeholders help assess the sector’s positive contributions to internal trade. An Institutional recognition for direct selling will only aid the government’s efforts in encouraging women entrepreneurs, micro-retailers, and in formulating robust policy frameworks for powering India’s retail evolution.”
Report Insights
- Over 8 million independent sellers form the backbone of India’s direct selling industry, with 44% being women entrepreneurs.
- The sector has grown at a CAGR of 7.15% in the last 5 years, reaching ₹25,000 crore by 2025.
- The whitepaper proposes a dual-governance model, aligning DPIIT’s trade facilitation with DoCA’s consumer protection framework.
- Drawing on global best practices and institutional support extended to retail and e-commerce, it recommends a harmonized, facilitative, and transparent policy environment for direct selling.
