Govt takes decisive action to protect people against unsolicited commercial calls

New Delhi, Feb 16: The Government of India, through the Department of Consumer Affairs, has intensified its efforts to address the rising annoyance among consumers caused by pesky, promotional, and unsolicited commercial calls. Acknowledging the infringement of privacy and consumer rights posed by such calls, the government has initiated significant measures.

A committee, spearheaded by Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, has been formed. This committee comprises representatives from diverse sectors, including the cellular industry, regulatory bodies, and telemarketing companies. Their primary objective is to devise strategies to mitigate the issue of pesky calls effectively.

In a recent meeting held on February 14, 2024, chaired by Rohit Kumar Singh, the committee delved into the pressing concerns associated with pesky, promotional, and unsolicited commercial calls. It was noted that a substantial portion of these intrusive calls originate from the financial services and real estate sectors.

Additionally, there is a worrying trend of spam callers exploiting platforms like WhatsApp to lure unsuspecting consumers with dubious offers, ranging from Ponzi schemes to cryptocurrency investments and job opportunities.

To counter this menace, the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have been actively engaged in combating spam messages and pesky calls. They have mandated telemarketers to register their business entities, sender IDs, and SMS templates on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platforms operated by major telecom operators such as Airtel, Vodafone, Jio, and BSNL. This move aims to bring transparency to the system and shield consumers from fraudulent activities.

Additionally, all telemarketers are obligated to utilize a 140-number series prefixed to their phone numbers, facilitating consumer identification of the caller and enabling better control over the calls and texts they receive. However, concerns persist regarding the non-compliance of various unregistered telemarketers with these regulations, highlighting the imperative for stringent adherence across the board.

The meeting witnessed the active participation of representatives from pivotal stakeholders, including the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Cellular Operations Association of India (COAI), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vodafone, Airtel, and Reliance.

People in general are supportive of such drive and proactive measures to safeguard consumer rights and combat the nuisance of pesky calls as scams on phones have already created much fear among mobile phone users.