DCGI slaps notices to Amazon and Flipkart for allegedly selling

New Delhi, Oct 25 (KNN) The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has slapped notices to e-commerce giants - Amazon and Flipkart - for allegedly selling "spurious and adulterated" cosmetics including imported brands.

DCGI has warned them of penal actions in case of failing to respond within 10 days.

Raids were conducted by drug inspectors at various locations across the country on October 5-6, during which they found that some indigenously manufactured cosmetics without valid manufacturing licence and having ingredients imported without necessary registration certificates were being sold on the e-commerce platforms.

The law provides for penal actions ranging from monetary fine to imprisonment for sale of such "unapproved" products.

Among cosmetics being sold by these websites included imported brands without valid documents and containing ingredients in the "negative list" of the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards).

Illegal cosmetics estimated to be worth Rs 4 crore were seized during pan-India raids carried out after which the central drug regulator lodged five FIRs across three cities - Mumbai, Pune and Delhi - against manufacturers who were making these cosmetics without licence.