e-commerce guidelines to be mandatory under consumer protection law: Paswan

To protect consumer interest, the government on Tuesday said the guidelines drafted for e-commerce firms will be made mandatory under the new Consumer Protection Act and stringent action against violators will be taken by a regulatory authority.

The consumer affairs ministry has decided to frame the rules to implement the Consumer Protection Act by December and asked stakeholders to submit their views by September 15. Meanwhile, the ministry has also sought views on the draft guidelines on e-commerce by the same date.

"The draft guidelines on e-commerce will be made part of the rules under the new consumer protection law. Once included under rules, the guidelines become mandatory," Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters.

Paswan spoke to media after meeting of a dozen parliamentarians called to address their concerns before proceeding with the framing of rules to implement the law.

"Every MP's view was that e-commerce guildelines should be incorporated as part of the rules under the new law. We are accepting their suggestion," Paswan added.

As per the draft guidelines on e-commerce, the companies are required to submit a self-declaration to the ministry stating that it is conforming with the guideline.

The proposed guidelines for e-commerce firms entail a 14-day deadline to effect refund request, mandate e-tailers to display details of sellers supplying goods and services on their websites and moot the procedure to resolve consumer complaints.

Among key guidelines, the e-commerce companies will also be required to ensure that personally identifiable information of customers are protected and should not directly or indirectly influence the price of the goods or services and "maintain a level playing field."