Government forms panel to draft guidelines on issue of unsolicited commercial calls

New Delhi: The government on Thursday said it has formed a committee to draft guidelines to address the issue of pesky/promotional or unsolicited calls received by consumers as it violates their privacy.

The decision was taken in a meeting held on February 14 here under the Chairmanship of Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh to discuss the issues related to pesky/promotional/unsolicited commercial calls.

"To address the issue of pesky/promotional or unsolicited commercial calls received by the consumers, the Department of Consumer Affairs has constituted a Committee," an official statement said.

The panel comprises members from the cellular industry, regulatory bodies -- including the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Reserve Bank of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), and Cellular Operations Association of India (COAI) -- and telemarketing companies to draft the guidelines.

In the meeting, issues related to pesky/promotional/unsolicited commercial calls were discussed.

"It was observed that these calls not only violate the privacy of users but also the rights of the consumers. Most of such calls are from the financial services sector followed by real estate," the statement said.

In the meeting, it was also pointed out that spam callers are now switching to internet calls, especially using WhatsApp to lure customers into Ponzi schemes, crypto investments and offer job opportunities.

Efforts have already been made by the DoT and Trai to address the issue related to spam messages and pesky calls from registered telemarketers.

The telemarketers have been advised to get their business entity, sender IDs and SMS templates on DLT platforms.

DLT platforms are operator-run portals, where businesses need to register by giving their details.

Trai has released new guidelines for the Bulk SMS Service Industry by introducing DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) - a blockchain-based registration system that will maintain the record of all transactions made by business entities.

The sole objective of Trai DLT regulations is to bring transparency to the system, counter the menace of SMS spam and protect consumers from fraudulent practices.

"During the meeting, it was observed all the Telemarketers from various sectors viz banking and financial services, real estate, e-commerce platforms and other commercial entities have already been advised to get 140 number series prefixed to their phone number so that a consumer can identify the caller," the statement said.

It gives subscribers more control over what kind of calls or texts they want to receive.

Various unregistered telemarketers do not follow these provisions.

It was emphasised in the meeting that all telemarketers should ensure strict compliance with these enabling provisions.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the DoT, Trai, COAI, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance.