The government has rolled out draft guidelines for e-commerce platforms, mandating self-regulatory measures to protect consumers from fraudulent practices amid the fast-growing digital shopping landscape in India. The draft guidelines, titled 'E-commerce-Principles and Guidelines for Self Governance', have been prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry's supervision, seeking stakeholder comments by February 15. "...the rise of e-commerce has introduced new challenges, particularly in terms of consumer protection and trust. The importance of clear and effective rules and norms for self-governance in e-commerce cannot be further emphasized in this context," the draft stated. The framework introduces three-phase principles covering pre-transaction, contract formation, and post-transaction stages for e-commerce operations. Under pre-transaction requirements, platforms must conduct thorough KYC of business partners, especially third-pa
Ola Electric came under scrutiny by the Department of Consumer Affairs after customers complained about its EV after-sales service
Relief may be in sight for Delhi-NCR residents reeling under soaring tomato prices, which have crossed Rs 100 per kg mark, with increased supplies expected from Maharashtra in the coming days, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Thursday. The government will continue selling tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 65 per kg in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai through the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF), Khare told reporters. The price surge comes as supplies from key southern states Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have been disrupted due to retreating monsoon rains causing crop damage and pest infestation. This supply crunch, coupled with festive season demand, has pushed prices northward. "While weekly arrivals have been impacted, we expect supplies from Maharashtra to improve shortly, which should help stabilise prices in the national capital," Khare said, adding that the government is maintaining strict vigilance on price movements. Since October 7, NCCF has s
The National Commission concluded that the policy's coverage for flood and inundation would include losses caused by heavy rains
The National Commission dismissed the police department's defence of discontinuing the premium deductions based on oral instructions, without obtaining a written confirmation
The National Commission relied on past Supreme Court judgments to conclude that failure to hand over timely possession entitled the allottee to a refund along with interest
The government has been working towards eliminating the usage of dark patterns by e-commerce platforms
The National Commission noted that if the policyholder wanted reinstatement, he should have made a written request and cleared the premiums
The National Commission, on reviewing the Fire and Standard Perils Policy, found that spontaneous combustion is excluded unless additional coverage for it is specially purchased
The State Commission concluded the insurer could not take advantage of a typographical error on the bank's part to repudiate a legitimate claim
Since the insured didn't oppose the illegal addition to the structure, the National Commission held the claim for loss of stock had been rightly repudiated
The National Commission observed that evidence indicated Dr Gupta was conducting private practice while employed with a government Primary Health Centre, which was a serious misconduct
The National Commission observed that once proceedings before the Debt Recovery Tribunal were completed, Ahmed could file a fresh complaint if a deficiency in service existed
The National Commission concluded that reimbursement for the same head of expense, namely surgeon's fees, cannot be claimed twice
Dark patterns are defined as practices or deceptive design patterns using user interface/user experience interactions on any platform, designed to mislead or trick users
A report emphasising the importance of fact-checking found that 92 per cent of Indians felt confident in their ability to distinguish fact from fiction
The department of consumer affairs has mandated that pharmaceutical clearly display important information on their packaging so consumer can make informed decisions
The guidelines go on to say that individuals should not endorse products or services that they have not personally used
A senior government official indicated that the Center is making every effort to manage the prices of basic commodities through the Price Monitoring Division
The court has directed the shopping mall authorities to release the compensation amount within 30 days from the date of the receipt of the order