The Centre has issued 200 notices to e-commerce players during the January-November period this year for violations of norms regarding declaration of the "country of origin".

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said, " For violations of declaration of the country of origin by e-commerce companies, 200 notices during the period of January 1 to November 30, 2021 have been issued by the Legal Metrology Division, Department of Consumer Affairs and an amount of approximately ₹38,70,000 in the form of compounding fees has been realised from e-commerce companies"

He informed Rajya Sabha that the government had amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011. The country of origin or manufacture or assembly in case of imported products needs to be mentioned on the package. "This has been done to facilitate the consumer in taking an informed and conscious decision based on the country of origin of the product," he added.

The Ministry said that the state governments are also empowered to take actions in cases of violation of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities), Rules 2011. "As per available information, around 2,116 cases have been booked for violations related to declaration, including the Country of Origin by the State Governments during this year," the Minister added.

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