Union Minister of Food and Public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan speaking at a press conference. (Source: PTI/File) Union Minister of Food and Public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan speaking at a press conference. (Source: PTI/File)

Celebrities who endorse brands will be held accountable for misleading claims under the new Consumer Protection Act, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Friday.

“The Act will be moved in the monsoon session of Parliament. It will provide for action against celebrities and others endorsing misleading advertisements,” Paswan told PTI.

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The minister’s statement comes in the backdrop of traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) demanding that brand ambassadors be brought under the ambit of Consumer Protection Act as consumers are often ‘guided’ through such endorsement, irrespective of the quality of the product.

CAIT, in a communication sent to Paswan, had demanded that specific guidelines be formulated, fixing the liability of brand ambassadors.

The Union Food Minister also said there has been a saving of Rs 10,000 crore through weeding out bogus ration cards.

“Our ministry detected 1.62 crore bogus ration cards,” he said, attributing this success to the linking of ration cards with Aadhar numbers.

“Some other states including Bihar have not completed seeding of ration cards with Aadhar. In Bihar, the seeding is zero per cent. Maximum bogus ration cards are in Bihar. In UP too, the situation is similar,” Paswan said.

More such bogus cards will be unearthed in the days to come, the minister added.

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