Govt to issue guidelines on pesky calls next month: Consumer Affairs Sec

The consumer affairs ministry will release guidelines next month to tackle unsolicited commercial communications or pesky calls, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the department has prepared draft guidelines in consultation with stakeholders, which will be harmonized with upcoming regulations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

“We are ready with the draft guidelines on pesky calls. We will harmonise it with their (Trai) norms and issue it next month,” Khare told reporters on the sidelines of a National Consumer Day event.

Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, who was also at the event, said the consumer affairs ministry is focusing on guidelines for business entities’ roles, responsibilities and conduct, while the telecom regulator will separately introduce stricter norms in response to growing consumer complaints.

The initiative stems from a joint committee of Indian regulators, led by Trai, which decided to strengthen existing frameworks to protect consumer interests.