Country of origin: 200 govt notices issued to e-tailers over norm breach

The government has issued 200 notices to e-commerce players during the January-November period this year for violations of declaration of the "country of origin", Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said around 2,116 cases have been booked for violations related to the declaration, including the Country of Origin, by the state governments during this year.

"For violations of declaration of the country of origin by e-commerce companies, 200 notices during the period of January 1 to November 30, 2021, have been issued by the Legal Metrology Division, Department of Consumer Affairs," the minister said.

About Rs 38,70,000 in the form of compounding fees has been realised from e-commerce companies, he said.

The minister informed the Upper House that the government has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 wherein as per Rule 6(1)(aa) the name of the country of origin or manufacture or assembly in case of imported products should be mentioned on the package.

This has been done to facilitate the consumer in taking an informed and conscious decision based on the country of origin of the product, he said.

The state governments are also empowered to take actions in cases of violation of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities), Rules 2011, he added.