CCPA Fines 19 Coaching Centres Rs 61.6 Lakh for Misleading Advertisements

The sum of RS 61.6 lakh was levied as a fine by the Central Consumer Protection Authority on 19 coaching institutes on the count of misleading advertisement. CCPA has sent notices to 45 other coaching centers regarding similar violations, mentioned by the Press Information Bureau, Government of India.

The "Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector," introduced by CCPA on 13th November 2024 to stop false or misleading claims made by coaching centers through their promotional activities. The guidelines focus to prevent unfair practices and ensure transparency in the sale of goods and services, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B.L. Verma told in Rajya Sabha.

The National Consumer Helpline is a service offered by the Department of Consumer Affairs. It is a one-stop shop for consumers across the country to resolve complaints before they hurl litigation at each other.

The Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B.L. Verma said that “these grievances can be registered on the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism, an omni-channel IT-enabled central portal, through various channels- WhatsApp, SMS, mail, NCH app, web portal, Umang app, as per their convenience.”

“A total of 1,004 companies have voluntarily joined the NCH's 'Convergence' programme and are directly addressing grievances through their own redressal processes. These companies also provide feedback to the complainant via the portal. Complaints against companies not participating in the programme are forwarded to the respective company’s email for resolution,” he added.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has stepped in at the pre-litigation stage through the NCH resolving all such grievances of students and aspirants taking any entrance test, namely UPSC Civil Services, IIT, etc., ensuring that justice will be delivered on time.

Apart from that, the NCH launched its specific campaign against several complaints from learners against coaching centres for not refunding the enrolment fees. The campaign was able to recover the losses as some Rs 1.15 crore were refunded back to the students.

The minister said that the Department of Consumer Affairs is very much into consumer protection and empowerment through the enactment of legislation.

Consumer protection laws were brought up to date for modern times shaped by globalisation, technology, and e-commerce markets, replacing the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.