IDSA wants govt to stop harassment of direct selling industry

Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) today said it wanted the state government to amend the Prize Chits and Money Circulation (Banning) Act of 1978 and provide a clear policy in the wake of arrest of Amway India head William Pinckney.
Pinckney, whose company uses the direct selling model of business, is facing several cases across Andhra Pradesh under the Act and is currently in jail.
Speaking at a press conference here, Chavi Hemanth, Secretary General IDSA, condemned the "harassment" of the direct selling industry at a press conference here.
The future of 60 lakh self-employed people who worked in the direct selling industry was under a threat, she alleged.

"We demand immediate operational clarity for the industry, exclusion from PCMC Act and separate legislation for the direct selling industry," she added.
Direct selling industry had sales turnover of Rs 7,164 crore in FY 2012-13 and paid Rs 987 crore in taxes in the same period, she said.
Amarnath Sengupta, former IDSA chairman, said the industry body had been taking these demands with the Union Government for the last many years.