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Paswan suggests severe punishment for celebrities in misleading ads
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Wednesday, 19 October, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d fiogf49gjkf0d Ram Vilas Paswan, minister for food and public distribution and consumer affairs, stated that in the coming session of Parliament, his ministry would bring into force a stricter consumer protection law with stringent punishments for misleading advertisements and adulteration, adding that the responsibility of the celebrities endorsing the products will also be fixed. “A group of ministers, led by finance minister Arun Jaitley, will soon meet to finalise the contours to the new Consumer Protection Bill, based on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee,” he added. Paswan said, “We are quite serious regarding the issue of misleading advertisements and adulteration. We have asked the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to take action if they receive any complaint against adulteration or misleading advertisements.”
“It was suggested by the Parliamentary Panel that there should be a jail term for misleading advertisements, but the final decision would be taken by the government. Before the next session, we would bring the matter before the cabinet,” he added. Meanwhile, the minister also stated that the his ministry was considering provided fortified food under the National Food Security Act through the public distribution system (PDS). However, he added that it would take some time.
“Under the National Food Security Act, we give subsidised cereals to the people. But that can tackle hunger, not nutritional requirements. Therefore, the problem remained persistent. So the National Food Security Act will be a tool for providing the fortification opportunity under the PDS where we are giving rice and wheat. Rice can be fortified. Also it requires legislation for ensuring that people get the nutrition with food,” he told. For that, his ministry is organising a meeting of various departments, including health, family and child welfare, education, etc. to take this initiative forward through PDS to schools, anganwadis and poor people. Regarding the implementation of the National Food Security Act, Paswan said that 34 out of 36 states have started implementing the Act. Kerala and Tamil Nadu are yet to roll out the scheme. He added that Kerala will be rolling out the scheme by this November, while in Tamil Nadu, there is a delay due to health issues of the chief minister.
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