New rules for electronic retailers by end of this week, says Paswan
   Date :21-Jul-2020

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NEW DELHI :
 
Most rules framed under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 come into force 
 
THE new rules for electronic retailers, including mandatory display of ‘country of origin’ on their products, will come into force by the end of this week, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Monday and emphasised that the entities will face penal action for any non-compliance. The ‘Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020’ will be applicable to all electronic retailers (e-tailers) registered in India or abroad but offering goods and services to Indian consumers, he said.
 
“Most rules framed under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 have come into force from today (Monday). However, e-commerce rules will get notified by the end of this week, while rules on direct selling will take some more time,” the Consumer Affairs Minister told reporters in a virtual press conference. The e-commerce rules are “mandatory in nature” and violation of these will attract penalties as decided by the consumer protection authority and consumer courts as provided under the Act, he said.
 
Consumer Affairs Secretary Leena Nandan said that the rules have been finalised after taking inputs from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the aegis of the Commerce Ministry, so that they do not contravene with the overall e-commerce policy. As per the rules, the e-commerce players will have to display the total ‘price’ of goods and services offered for sale along with break-up of other charges.
 
They are also required to mention the ‘expiry date’ of goods offered for sale and the ‘country of origin’ of goods and services that are necessary for enabling the consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage. E-tailers have to display details about return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, modes of payment, and grievance redressal mechanism, and any other similar information that may be required by consumers to make informed decisions.