New Delhi: The government will tighten norms for the e-commerce industry by bringing such companies under the ambit of the Consumer Protection Act, and ensure the guidelines drafted are mandatory under the law, Ram Vilas Paswan, minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution said.
“We have heard of several cases where the consumer has not received the item he ordered for or received nothing at all. Even there are some goods that are not refundable,” Paswan said.
The government had earlier issued advisory guidelines to state governments to protect the interest of consumers. This advisory was, however, issued before the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, was enacted on Aug 10.
The government will now include the rules regarding the e-commerce companies under the Act and these rules will be framed by December, the minister said.
The minister today met a group of lawmakers to take suggestions in framing the rules of the Act. Paswan added stakeholders can send their suggestions till Sep 15.
Under the Act, a Central Consumer Protection Authority will be created that can initiate suo moto investigation and call for class action on certain products. It can also recall products.
Celebrities may be fined up to Rs 1 million and banned from endorsement up to three years, if the person is found misleading consumers under the Act.
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