The Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is drafting new guidelines to regulate surrogate advertising and has issued notices to 13 companies for non-compliance with existing rules, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi
New Delhi: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday launched several initiatives to strengthen consumer protection, including artificial intelligence-enabled helpline and tools to detect deceptive marketing practices, while major e-commerce players pledged to enhance online shopping safety.
Leading platforms, including Reliance Retail, Tata Sons and Zomato adopted a safety pledge as the government rolled out new consumer protection measures like the AI-enabled National Consumer Helpline, e-maap portal and Jago Grahak Jago mobile application.
The apps launched by Joshi aim to protect consumers from dark patterns.
“The apps would equip the Department of Consumer Affairs with means and resources to identify dark patterns on e-commerce platforms and is soon going to empower consumers with these tools,” the Minister said, during the launch in Vigyan Bhawan here.
The theme of the National Consumer Day this year is “Virtual Hearings & Digital Access to Consumer Justice,” reflecting the commitment to enhancing consumer welfare through innovative solutions and transparent redressal systems.
“Virtual hearings of grievances are giving consumers digital access to justice and this reflects the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in ensuring efficient and accessible justice to the consumers,” said the Minister.
He also launched the National Legal Metrology e-Mapp, which enhances transparency, efficiency, and accountability in governance and operations; and the new AI-enabled NCH 2.0.
NCH 2.0 features multilingual support and AI-powered chatbots, ensuring a seamless and inclusive experience for consumers across the country.
The Minister also emphasised the achievements of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) in the past years for the protection of consumer interest through its class actions suits and actions. This includes a refund of Rs 1,454 crores by travel companies to consumers affected due to cancelled flight tickets; and actions taken against 45 coaching centres across the nation for misleading advertisements, among others.
“Significant progress has been made in expediting resolutions of consumer disputes,” Joshi said at the National Consumer Day event.
The minister, who attended the event online, highlighted that out of 3,628 cases filed with the National Commission between January and November this year, 6,587 cases have been disposed of through the country’s three-tier consumer court system at district, state and national levels.
The government’s e-Daakhil Portal, launched in 2020 and expanded nationwide in June 2023, has achieved 100 per cent adoption for online complaint filing in states like Karnataka, Punjab and Rajasthan, as well as several districts.
Addressing growing e-commerce concerns, Joshi said: “While this digital revolution offers incredible opportunities, the Indian government believes it is equally important for our consumers to feel confident and make informed choices.”
The Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is drafting new guidelines to regulate surrogate advertising and has issued notices to 13 companies for non-compliance with existing rules, he added.
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B L Verma, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, All India Council for Technical Education T G Sitharam and Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare were present at the event.