New Delhi, Nob 17 (KNN) With the aim to prevent the sale of unsafe goods to consumers through online marketplaces, government has constituted a committee to draft the safety pledge for e-commerce platforms.

The panel, which includes members from major e-commerce platforms, voluntary consumer associations, industry bodies and National Law Universities, will submit its report in two weeks.

The Department of Consumer Affairs held a stakeholder consultation on preparation for a 'Safety Pledge' for e-commerce platforms. The exercise is aimed at ensuring the sale of goods which are safe for use by consumers and requires platforms to take appropriate measures to prevent the sale of unsafe goods, an official statement on Thursday said.

The meeting was chaired by Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs and was attended by representatives from industry associations, major e-commerce platforms, voluntary consumer associations and law chairs.

"The Department has constituted a committee for drafting of the safety pledge and the committee includes members from major e-commerce platforms, voluntary consumer associations, industry bodies and National Law Universities. The committee shall submit its report in two weeks," the statement said.

During the meeting, International examples of safety pledge being implemented in other jurisdictions such as the European Union (EU), Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Canada were discussed. The sale of safe goods to consumers is among the strong principles of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The safety pledge aims to raise standards across all online marketplaces operating in India. "Signing the pledge can also be a public way of demonstrating their commitment to enhancing consumer product safety," the department said.

The proposed principles of the safety pledge for e-commerce platforms include detecting and preventing the sale of unsafe products, cooperating with statutory authorities responsible for product safety, raising consumer product safety awareness amongst third-party sellers and empowering consumers on product safety issues.

(KNN Bureau)