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Submission on the Draft Online Consumer Reviews (Quality Control) Order, 2024
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) wrote to the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, highlighting industry concerns over the Draft Online Consumer Reviews (Quality Control) Order, 2024 (Draft QCO). IAMAI pointed out that the Draft QCO put forth a series of unimplementable compliances onto various entities in the digital ecosystem to ensure that online consumer reviews are 'genuine'. Putting such an obligation on platforms would force them to apply their judgment in deciding what constitutes false / fake reviews. This, the submission underlined, was contrary to Supreme Court precedents as well as the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. IAMAI also highlighted that the existing legal framework governing consumer protection offered robust safeguards against the use of unfair and deceptive trade practices to promote the sale, use or supply of goods and services. Therefore, there was no need for a mandatory standard governing online consumer reviews.
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Submission to Government of Odisha on Aggregator Licensing
IAMAI made a submission to the Government of Odisha addressing issues stemming from the Odisha On-Demand Transportation Technologies Aggregators Guidelines 2023 ("Aggregators Guidelines"). As per IAMAI, while the introduction of the Aggregator Guidelines is a step in the right direction, licenses are yet to be issued to several aggregators that have applied for a license under the Guidelines. IAMAI requested the Government of Odisha to consider setting up a fast-track mechanism to resolve issues related to licensing procedures for aggregators. In its submission, IAMAI also flagged industry concerns around the electrification mandates outlined in the Aggregator Guidelines, citing the nascency of the EV ecosystem in the state and the fact that aggregators typically do not own the vehicles of driver-partners signed up to their platforms and thus do not exercise control over their fleet.
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| Feedback on Amendments to Draft Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2024 |
| In response to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways seeking feedback on certain clauses of the Draft Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2024, ("Draft Guidelines") IAMAI made a submission recommending minor omissions to key clauses of the Draft Guidelines and requested an industry meeting to discuss the way forward.
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IEC Submission on Guidelines for Coaching Industry in India
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| The India Edtech Consortium made a submission to the Ministry of Education, Government of India, comprising its comments on Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Center, issued by the Department of Higher Education. The IEC requested a clear definition of 'coaching centres' with respect to registration and study programs. The submission also urged the government to reconsider issuing specific marketing guidelines for promoting the courses instead of leaving marketing guidelines open-ended.
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| IAMAI's Traveltech Committee Meeting with Railway Board Members |
| A delegation from IAMAI's Traveltech Committee met the Executive Director, Railway Board and the Additional Member (Commercial), Railway Board, on June 26, 2024, and presented a white paper on the Unreserved ticketing systems (UTS). The white paper contained recommendations on technology related challenges and proposed solutions. The Railway Board members suggested that IAMAI should share letters requesting the Railway Board to allow access to tatkal booking systems to online travel agents. The Railway Board officials also advised the delegation to submit an approach note with a commercial proposal stating that if UTS access was provided to OTAs, they would not be permitted to take any additional charges from customers.
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| PCI's Merchant Aggregator and Acquirer Committee Submission to RBI on the Payment Aggregator Guidelines |
| The Payment Council of India's Merchant Aggregator and Acquirer Committee made a submission to the Reserve Bank of India on the draft Payment Aggregator guidelines. The submission highlighted key challenges faced by the industry, including merchant due diligence, escrow account difficulties. |
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| PCI's UPI Committee Apprises NPCI of TAPS' Operational Concerns |
| PCI's United Payments Interface (UPI) Committee facilitated the quarterly committee meeting with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on June 7, 2024. The committee discussed the operational concerns of the Third-Party Application Providers (TPAPs). |
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| PCI's International Remittance and Trade Committee Discusses PA-CB Guidelines Related Concerns with SEPC |
| PCI's International Remittance and Trade Committee held an industry interaction with the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), on June 12, 2024, highlighting concerns of the Payment Aggregator – Cross Border (PA-CB) entities and the impact of PA-CB guidelines on exporters. The PCI delegation underlined the stringent compliance clauses for exporters, which made it difficult for small entities to conduct their businesses efficiently. Some key issues related to KYC requirements and a few other points from the guidelines were also discussed. |
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| PCI's BBPOUs Committee Submission to RBI Highlights BBPS Onboarding Timeline Concerns |
| The Bharat Bill Payments Operating Units (BBPOUs) Committee made a submission to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seeking an extension of timelines for credit cards and utility billers' onboarding to the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). The submission highlighted concerns about the possibility of business disruptions if the timelines were not extended. The submission also raised the issue of bottlenecks in meeting the timelines for onboarding the biller categories and requested RBI's support for the industry to ensure effective implementation of the updated Master Direction - Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). |
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| FCC's Lending Committee Submits Comments to RBI on Draft Guidelines on Digital Lending |
| FCC's Lending Committee submitted its Comments on the Draft Guidelines on Digital Lending – Transparency in Aggregation of Loan Products from Multiple Lenders. The Lending Committee submission expressed the industry's appreciation of the RBI's approach to enhancing transparency and fairness in digital lending while allowing innovation. However, it also highlighted concerns regarding Section 3(ii), suggesting that Loan Service Providers (LSPs) should be allowed to develop mechanisms to prevent customer harm, such as triaging lenders to preserve credit scores and streamline loan processes. The submission recommended that LSPs should disclose their mechanisms on their websites to maintain transparency. |
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| FCC's Investment Committee Submission to SEBI on Redemption of Direct Plan Units of Mutual Fund |
| FCC's Investment Committee made a submission to the SEBI, requesting the Board to allow AMFI-registered mutual fund distributors to facilitate the redemption of Direct Plan units of mutual fund schemes. Current SEBI regulations and guidelines prevent these distributors from dealing with direct plans, creating challenges for investors, especially those with smaller investments or unaware of investments made by relatives. The submission suggested that distributors should be permitted to help redeem Direct Plan units and EOPs assist with Regular Plan units, leveraging technology to support informed investment decisions. |
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| Digital Deccan Conclave Showcases South India's Digital Achievements |
A full-house session at the Digital Deccan Conclave |
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) organized the 1st edition of the Digital Deccan Conclave (DDC) on June 11, 2024, in Chennai. Powered by Ethinos, the conference showcased South India's digital accomplishments and innovations. Across eight tracks of the DDC, over 30 industry leaders discussed how southern India's dynamic business environment was redefining digital excellence across the country. More than 250 senior industry professionals attended the conference.
True Balance was the Silver Partner of the Digital Deccan Conclave, and it was supported by the Advertising Club Madras, Adtech Today, DAZE INFO, Indian Angel Network, and MediaNews4U.
Prominent speakers at the Digital Deccan Conclave included Vanitha Venugopal, CEO of ITNT HUB; Brijesh Munyal, Co-Founder and CEO of Ethinos, VKC Razak, Managing Director of VKC Group; Arjun Ranga, CEO and MD of N Ranga Rao & Sons; Sudheer Warrier, Chief Technology & Digital Officer of Sundaram Finance; Ashish Bajaj, Chief Marketing Officer of Narayana Health; Lakshman Velayutham, Chief Marketing Officer of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank; Vara Prasad, VP & Head of Insights and Analytics at ITC Foods; Sanjay Sindhwani, CEO of Indian Express Digital; Navaneeth LV, CEO of The Hindu; Sitaraman Shankar, CEO of The Printers Mysore and Editor of Deccan Herald; Mayura Kumar, Director of Digital Business at Mathrubhumi; Dinesh Venugopal, Vice President & Head of Artificial Intelligence at Tech Mahindra; Ashish Pawar, Head of Marketing at Tata Asset Management; Kavitha Ganeshan, Head of Brand Marketing at TVS Eurogrip; Puneet Kusumbia, VP of Marketing at Heritage Foods; Snehil Khanor, Co-Founder and CEO of Truly Madly; Manika Mittal, General Manager of Marcomm and PR at True Balance; Gaurang Thosani, Head of Digital Marketing and E-commerce at Royal Sundaram; Vijay Mikkilineni, GM of Brand and Marketing at Centuary Mattress; Rajeshwar Rao, VP of B2C at Clovia; Deepraj Hegde, Chief Strategy Officer at Ethinos; Vivekanand Pani, Co-Founder of Reverie Language Technologies; Bala Manian, Account Director at OPN Advertising; and Kiruba Shankar, Digital Entrepreneur.
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| Knowledge Series Webinar on Section 194R of the Income Tax Act |
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FCC's Insurance Committee organized a knowledge series webinar with Ernst & Young (EY) on June 3, 2024, on Section 194R of the Income Tax Act. The session covered the key considerations emanating from S.194R for the Insurance Industry and its interplay with GST. Insurers (life & general insurance), insurance distributors, insurtech players and senior professionals of the industry participated in the webinar. Avan Badshaw, Partner, Tax & Regulatory Services, Smita Bhandari, Partner, Tax & Regulatory Services and Rajesh Bhagat, Director, Tax & Regulatory Services led the session, which also included a Q & A segment.
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| Webinar on Health Insurance Business Master Circular |
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FCC's Insurance Committee organised a virtual knowledge session, on June 28, 2024, on the Master Circular on the Health Insurance Business by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The webinar was conducted by Vivek Bangalore Niranjan and Aravind Venugopal, both Partners at Khaitan & Co. |
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| Webinar on Investing in Fixed Income - A CIO Perspective |
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FCC's Investment Committee organised a virtual knowledge session on, June 20, 2024, on Investing in Fixed Income - A CIO Perspective. The session as conducted by Neeraj Seth, CIO, Blackrock, Singapore and Head of Asia-Pacific Fundamental Fixed Income, Amit Tripathi, CIO (Fixed Income), Nippon India Mutual Fund and Vishal Goenka, Co-Founder, IndiaBonds.
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