Govt launches AI-enabled helpline, ecommerce safety measures to boost consumer protection

Meals and shopper affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday launched a number of initiatives to strengthen shopper safety, together with AI-enabled helpline and instruments to detect misleading advertising practices, whereas main ecommerce gamers pledged to boost on-line purchasing security. Main platforms, together with Reliance Retail, Tata Sons and Zomato adopted a security pledge as the federal government rolled out new consumer protection measures like AI-enabled National Consumer Helpline (NCH) , e-maap portal and Jago Grahak Jago cellular utility. “Important progress has been made in expediting resolutions of shopper disputes,” Joshi stated on the Nationwide Shopper Day occasion.

The minister, who attended the occasion on-line, highlighted that 3,628 instances had been filed with Nationwide Shopper Disputes Redressal Fee between January and November this yr and 6,587 instances had been disposed of via the nation’s three-tier shopper courtroom system at district, state and nationwide ranges.

The federal government’s e-Daakhil Portal, launched in 2020 and expanded nationwide in June 2023, has achieved 100 per cent adoption for on-line criticism submitting in Karnataka, Punjab and Rajasthan.

“Digital hearings of grievances is giving shoppers digital entry to justice,” he stated and lauded the digitalisation of shopper grievance redressal efforts.

The minister outlined numerous measures the patron safety regulator CCPA has taken via class motion swimsuit and challenge of sector-specific tips to guard the curiosity of shoppers.

Addressing the rising considerations in regards to the ecommerce sector, Joshi stated: “Whereas this digital revolution presents unimaginable alternatives, the Indian authorities believes it’s equally vital for our shoppers to really feel assured and make knowledgeable decisions.” The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is drafting new tips to manage surrogate promoting and has issued notices to 13 corporations for non-compliance with present guidelines, he added.

Amongst different initiatives launched on the event had been Nationwide Authorized Metrology e-Maap, an up to date e-book on Packaged Commodities Guidelines, BIS SMART Requirements, and the ‘Software program Testing Facility for Weighing and Measuring Instrument’ at Regional Reference Commonplace Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

The minister additionally launched Natural Meals Testing Laboratory at Nationwide Take a look at Home (NTH) in Guwahati and Low Voltage Swap Gear Testing facility at NTH Mumbai to make sure meals security and electrical high quality.

The minister additionally handed over the ‘normal weights’ to Controllers of Authorized Metrology of 4 states on the event.

Minister of state for shopper affairs B L Verma, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, All India Council for Technical Training chairman T G Sitharam and shopper affairs secretary Nidhi Khare had been current on the occasion.