Guidelines for e-commerce firms aimed at protecting the consumer interests issued earlier this month would become mandatory under the new Consumer Protection Act, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Tuesday.
The guidelines entail a 14-day deadline to effect refund request, mandate e-tailers to display details of sellers supplying goods and services on their websites and moot the procedure to resolve consumer complaints.
“As the draft guidelines will be made part of the law, they become mandatory,” Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters. He was speaking at a press conference following two-hour consultation with parliamentarians who had moved amendments to the Act during the debate in Parliament. The meeting was attended by MPs cutting across political parties.
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The suggestion to incorporate the guidelines in the law also came from the MPs, he said.
“We have accepted most of the suggestions given by the parliamentarians and we will incorporate them in the rules which will be framed by December. Citizens too can submit their suggestions on the rules till September 15,” he said.
The companies must protect the personally identifiable information of customers, should not directly or indirectly influence the price of the goods or services and “maintain a level-playing field”.
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Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash K Srivastava said the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) — which would be established to promote, protect and enforce consumer rights — would have the power to take action against violating firms.
Mr. Paswan told the parliamentarians that he had discussed in detail every aspect of the law and addressed the concerns.