Along with their push for “Made in India” products, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has sent a reminder to all e-commerce websites that as part of the mandatory declarations when a product is sold, the “country of origin” must be mentioned.
The push for displaying country of origin comes at a time when the #boycottChina movement is gaining a lot of traction across the country. The Government of India also recently banned 59 apps of Chinese origin after receiving multiple reports of unauthorised data collection of Indian users.
In 2017, new provisions were added in the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, that make it mandatory for e-commerce websites to declare extra details like declaration of country of origin or manufacture or assembly. Failure to comply with these regulations would invite a fine against the e-commerce company.
At an online press conference held on Thursday, the ministry reminded e-commerce portals of these regulations. Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan stated, “At a time when we are pushing for ‘Made in India’ products, it is equally necessary for our consumers to know exactly where the products that they are buying are coming from.”