Govt. Bans Dual MRPs! Airports-Cinemas Cannot Overcharge You And Have To Follow One MRP Rule.

Ever complained about the overpricing of pre-packaged goods at airports and at multiplexes? Hell, yeah! That aerated drink and packaged water bear a different tag, but we pay a higher price. But, the good news is starting January 1, 2018, you wouldn’t have to pay the surged price. Yes, thanks to GST, and the amendments to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

Led by Ram Vilas Paswan, the present Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister of India, on Thursday, the amendments were announced and the rulebook was updated. A ban on dual MRPs is to be effective and there would be one price applicable for pre-packed commodities. According to an Economic Times report,

 

But this wouldn’t be applicable upon restaurants. Rahul Singh, secretary, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said,

“This won’t be applicable to restaurants as under GST they come under the category of supplier services. And the latest notification is applicable for retail services where customer buy off the counter.”

Not only that, the ministry has also made it mandatory for e-commerce sites to carry retail prices and other essential information. Also, for all packaged goods to have an increased font size which would read the manufacturing date, name of the producer, price, best before, etc more clearly.

 

Another important directive by the consumers affairs department has come is that medical devices like stents, valves, orthopaedic implants, syringes and tools for operations, come under drugs and they will have to display the MRP. Jai Priye Prakash, secretary, department of pharmaceuticals (DoP), told ET.

“This is to raise awareness, because the customer has a right to know what the prices (of these medical devices are).”

This will ensure that consumers are not looted because earlier hospitals used to overcharge them for the products that didn’t have the MRP written on them. Especially, the imported medical products.

These are effective from January 2018 because the government wanted to give the manufactures a breathing period. The rules are also amended to enhance consumer protection, at the same time balancing the ease of doing business.

One product, one MRP and the change in labelling regulations sure sounds like a good call. Do you agree?

Source: The Economic Times, Hindustan Times

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