The Central Client Safety Authority (CCPA) has levied a complete penalty of Rs 61.6 lakh on 19 teaching institutes for deceptive ads. Moreover, the CCPA has issued notices to 45 different teaching centres concerning comparable violations, talked about by Press Info Bureau, Authorities of India.
On November 13, 2024, the CCPA launched the “Pointers for Prevention of Deceptive Ads within the Teaching Sector” to curb false or misleading claims made by teaching centres of their promotional actions. The rules intention to forestall unfair practices and guarantee transparency within the sale of products and providers, Minister of State for Client Affairs B.L. Verma knowledgeable the Rajya Sabha in a written response.
The Nationwide Client Helpline (NCH), managed by the Division of Client Affairs, serves as a centralised platform for customers nationwide to deal with grievances on the pre-litigation stage.
The minister mentioned that these grievances will be registered on the Built-in Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni-channel IT-enabled central portal, via varied channels- WhatsApp, SMS, mail, NCH app, internet portal, Umang app, as per their comfort.
A complete of 1,004 corporations have voluntarily joined the NCH’s ‘Convergence’ programme and are immediately addressing grievances via their very own redressal processes. These corporations additionally present suggestions to the complainant through the portal. Complaints towards corporations not collaborating within the programme are forwarded to the respective firm’s electronic mail for decision, the minister added.
The Division of Client Affairs, via the NCH, has successfully stepped in on the pre-litigation stage to deal with grievances of scholars and aspirants enrolled in UPSC Civil Companies, IIT, and different entrance exams, making certain well timed justice.
Moreover, NCH launched a centered initiative to deal with quite a few complaints towards teaching centres, notably concerning non-refunded enrolment charges. This effort resulted in a complete refund of Rs 1.15 crore to affected college students.
Established beneath Part 10 of the Client Safety Act, 2019, the CCPA oversees points associated to shopper rights violations, unfair commerce practices, and false or deceptive ads. Its mandate consists of selling, defending, and imposing shopper rights as a collective.
The minister acknowledged that the Division of Client Affairs is actively centered on shopper safety and empowerment via the implementation of progressive laws.
To modernise shopper safety legal guidelines within the context of globalisation, technological developments, and e-commerce markets, the Client Safety Act, 1986, was changed by the Client Safety Act, 2019.
Written with the View : afaqs