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Air Purifiers
The government on Tuesday announced plans to conduct market surveillance to verify claims made by air purifier manufacturers, amid rising concerns about pollution in Delhi and other major cities. This move comes in response to Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday accusing some companies of making false assertions about their products. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare, addressing a media briefing on Tuesday, stated, "We will try to see through market surveillance and check if the claims are correct or not." Khare also mentioned that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has taken note of the issue and will examine compliance with existing quality control orders on air filters. The announcement follows Joshi's remarks at a World Standards Day event, where he expressed concern over misleading marketing tactics. "Air purifiers make such false claims... We see air purifiers and so much is written but nothing is there in it. There is just a fan in it, ye
The government is likely to consider addressing the issue of inverted duty structure for certain products like paper, furniture, washing machines, solar glass, and air purifiers to promote domestic manufacturing, an official has said. Inverted duty structure refers to taxation on inputs at higher rates than finished products that result in the build-up of credits and cascading costs. The official said the Commerce and Industry Ministry has shared a list of products with the Finance Ministry to look at the inverted duty structure issues. The list was shared after holding detailed consultations with industry associations and export promotion councils. "We have already sent the list to the Finance Ministry. The list includes products such as paper, furniture, washing machines, solar glass, air purifiers, and some cases in apparel and jewellery also," the official said. Inverted duty structure impacts the domestic industry, as manufacturers have to pay a higher price for raw materials
Air purifier makers are witnessing a sudden spike in sales and customer enquiries amid air quality worsening in the national capital and adjoining areas. The makers said they are receiving queries from Mumbai and some eastern parts of the country, alongside the New Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), where air quality levels have also gone down substantially. Companies such as Philips, Kent RO, Xiaomi, Daikin and Havells expect a further uptick in demand in the coming days, as they anticipate air quality to be impacted by other reasons as well as from construction activities, along with rising health consciousness among consumers. Air purifiers are a relatively new, small and niche segment in the home appliances space, whose demand picks up after Diwali. However, this year has seen an early surge in sales due to a sudden surge in air pollution levels, companies said. "In the past 4-5 days, we have witnessed a 15-20 per cent increase in demand, as people anticipated the need for a
Once a luxury product, air purifiers have increasingly become a necessity as sales surge amid a rise in Delhi's pollution levels that are now just a notch below the 'Severe Plus' category. According to Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 426 at 9.30 am on Friday. An AQI of above 400 is considered 'Severe' and can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing illnesses. On Thursday, the 24-hour average AQI stood at 450 at 4 pm, just a notch below the 'Severe Plus' category. Demand for air purifiers have risen in the national capital, particularly after Diwali, which witnessed widespread bursting of firecrackers despite a ban. "The air quality in India is deteriorating due to many activities industrial expansion in cities, population density, improper waste management, crop burning, increased automobile use and a few natural causes. There is evidence that air pollution, both outdoor and indoor, is on the rise and is