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E-Commerce and E-Business

EDI is used for following applications:
1. Inventory and logistics management
2. Transport and distribution

3. Administration and cash management
EDI specifies a standard format for each type of business document. The EDI standards are developed
under the guidance of United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange For Administration, Commerce and
Transport (UN/EDIFACT)). Maintenance and further development of this standard is done through the
United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) under the UN
Economic Commission.
There is a rapid growth of EDI in India. India is currently in the middle of an e-commerce revolution.
The influx of the Internet, followed by the promising growth of Web-based businesses is leading to
more e-commerce, both on the B2B and the B2C models.

The extension of the telecom network, the usage of broadband, adoption of digital
technology for the telecom highways, and the increase in the sales of PCs imply
that EDI in India is blooming.

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) is India’s global telecom carrier. In 1995, it commissioned the
Gateway Electronic Data Interchange System (GEDIS). Similarly, National Informatics Center (NIC) has
also fitted its Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) based satellite communication system with EDI
capability. India, like its trading partners worldwide, is building up EDI facility for Indian enterprises
over its telecom networks. The implementation of EDI in different sectors and institutions in India are
as follows:
Customs
Indian Customs EDI System (ICES) has enabled the Indian trading community to exchange documents
electronically with Customs and other Government agencies. The main objective of ICES is to improve
the way the business is conducted. ICES comprises two main sub systems. The sub systems are India
Customs EDI system/Imports (ICES/I) and Indian Customs EDI System/Export (ICES/E).
The main features of ICES are:
1. Security: ICES provides security at all levels of access to the system. At the service center, security
features are implemented at module level. System keeps track of any transaction carried by a user.
2. Help: ICES includes powerful help features, which can be invoked by the assessing officers from
their respective screens to help their assessment work.

3. Management and Control: ICES allows the collector to find out the status of any document in the
system. Controlling officers can monitor the progress of the Customs officers in processing the
documents and provide help to them.
Railways

Indian Railways is one of the most advanced ministries in India. It uses extensive and innovative IT
environment and a state of art reservation system. EDI is used extensively by the railways. The
railway’s most successful e-commerce initiative in India is the IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and
Tourism Corporation). It has contributed Rs 34 crore to the total e-commerce business of Rs 90 crore. In
1986, the Ministry of Railways established the Center for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) as a
support system for all computer activities on Indian Railways. CRIS, with its own research and
development effort is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing all major computer
systems for the railways.

The major achievement of CRIS is a sophisticated reservation and ticketing
application called Country-Wide Network for Enhanced Reservation and
Ticketing (CONCERT). CONCERT is a total solution to the networking of the
Passenger Reservation Systems (PRSs).

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