Govt aims to protect consumer, plans regulator for direct selling cos

Among other things, new authority will be empowered to enforce refunds and product recall/return

In order to protect the interest of consumers, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is planning to set up a regulator to monitor the online sale of goods, including direct selling of products.

The Consumer Protection Bill of 2015, which replaces the Consumer Protection Act of 1986, seeks widen the ambit and proposes to set up an executive agency to be known as the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). The CCPA seeks to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers, intervene when necessary to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices and initiate class action including enforcing refunds, and