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The Central government is looking at the possibility of adopting a universal charger model for all electronic devices like mobile phones, laptops, electric watches, and will set up a panel seeking views on the proposal, informed sources said. The sources said the Centre will set up three expert groups which will submit their report after taking the views of all stakeholders on the proposal. They further informed that the groups will be notified in August itself and they will submit their report within a couple of months. This was decided after the <keyword id="184317" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="department-of-consumer-affairs" source="Orion">Department of Consumer Affairs</keyword> on Wednesday held a meeting with representatives of mobile phone and electronic devices manufacturers to seek their views on adopting the universal charger model. The meeting was presided over by the Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, <keyword id="215678" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rohit-kumar-singh" source="Orion">Rohit Kumar Singh</keyword>. Industry bodies like <keyword id="6355001" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ficci" source="Orion">FICCI</keyword>, CII and ASSOCHAM, as well as representatives of electronic products manufacturers bodies were present in the meeting. The idea behind pushing this concept emerged from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards reducing carbon emissions in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, which he had announced in the <keyword id="168609" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="climate-change-conference" source="Orion">Climate Change Conference</keyword> held in Glasgow last year. Also, the government has expressed concern that due to excess usage of separate chargers for all electronic devices, there has been an alarming rise in e-consumption which leads to greater emission levels. This concern has made the Government think about adopting a universal charger for all electronic devices. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/netflix-will-not-allow-you-to-watch-movies-and-shows-offline-in-the-ad-supported-tier/articleshow/93634420.cms">Netflix will not allow you to watch movies and shows offline in the ad-supported tier</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/gig-jobs-are-popular-with-pocket-money-seeking-teens-for-primary-earners-its-a-burden/articleshow/93632374.cms">Gig jobs are popular with pocket-money seeking teens, for primary earners it’s a burden</a>

Centre to form panel to seek views on adopting universal charger model

<ul class="summary-list"><li>India will require mobile devices sold in the country to have the USB-C charging port by March 2025.</li><li>The government will find two types of charging ports for mobile devices and wearable electronics.</li></ul>India will require mobile devices in the country to have the USB Type-C standard charging port by March 2025, <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-makes-usb-type-c-charging-must-for-device-makers-from-march-2025-122122700779_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business Standard reported</a>.The Bureau of Indian Standards is setting standards for two common types of chargers — one for mobile devices and possibly another one for wearable electronics, like smartwatches, Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said.The Ministry of Environment may look at the impact of having a common charger for electronics on e-waste, Business Standard reported.The requirement <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-usb-c-iphone-eu-rule-date-2022-12">follows suit of the European Union</a>, which set a December 28, 2024, deadline for all smartphones sold in member states to have the USB-C charging port."There is a broad consensus among the industry and government that the use of USB type C charging ports can be made mandatory after six months of the European Union's rolling out of standards for USB charging ports in 2024 as electronic manufacturers have a global integrated supply chain," Singh told Business Standard.In 2019, India <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/india-surpassed-usa-become-second-largest-smartphone-market-world-reaching-158-million-shipments-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">knocked the US out</a> of second place for the largest market for smartphones because of the expansion of Chinese smartphone brands. Androids <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/262157/market-share-held-by-mobile-operating-systems-in-india/#:~:text=Share%20of%20mobile%20operating%20systems%20in%20India%202012%2D2021&amp;text=In%202021%2C%20Android%20held%20a,with%203.1%20percent%20market%20share.">have an almost 96% share</a> of the mobile devices market in India, while Apple is in second place with 3.1% of the market share.Apple is reluctant to ditch its proprietary Lightning charging port, which is on all of its iPhones and some iPads. But the company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/usb-c-iphone-coming-apple-not-happy-force-ditch-lightning-2022-10">confirmed that it will</a> make iPhones with a USB-C port to comply with EU laws. The company doesn't seem too thrilled about it. Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said it will "obviously" be forced "to comply" with the new law, at <a href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lDxLnDlbDYGm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1585100274657419264%7Ctwgr%5E5f52e33a23aa27e6444604dffe9a5a9253f0d0dc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2022%2F10%2F26%2F23423977%2Fiphone-usb-c-eu-law-joswiak-confirms-compliance-lightning">The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference</a>. He added that Apple "doesn't mind governments telling us what they want to accomplish," but that Apple's engineers are "pretty smart" and have figured out better ways to accomplish things before.For example, Joswiak said, Apple created the industry standard for hearing aids made for iPhone after the US government's regulation for hearing aid compatibility with mobile phones didn't work.The <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220603IPR32196/deal-on-common-charger-reducing-hassle-for-consumers-and-curbing-e-waste">European Parliament said</a> in June that the standard charging port legislation is "part of a broader EU effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste, and make consumers' lives easier."According to the European Parliament, chargers that are thrown away <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220603IPR32196/deal-on-common-charger-reducing-hassle-for-consumers-and-curbing-e-waste">make up 11,000 tons of e-waste</a> each year, and it believes having a standard charger will help EU consumers <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_4613'" target="_blank" rel="noopener">save up to 250 million euros a year</a> from having to buy more chargers. Apple <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-market-smartphone-share/">holds the largest share</a> of the US smartphone market, taking up 48% of the market share in the second quarter of 2022. Samsung is next, with 30% of the market share in the same quarter, and Lenovo is third with 9% of the market share. Samsung and Lenovo smartphones mostly use USB-C or MicroUSB chargers.

India joins EU in mandating USB-C charging port on smartphones, as Americans still have to deal with 3 different types of ports and cables

As the government begins to take steps to fix <keyword id="1464841" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="edtech" source="Orion">edtech</keyword> platforms like <keyword id="2900267" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="byju" source="Orion">BYJU</keyword>'s, several parents have shared their plight on social media and professional networking platforms as representatives from online education providers continue to force them to buy courses. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs recently pulled up edtech firms during a meeting with them and self-regulatory organisation India Edtech Consortium (<keyword id="306435" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="iec" source="Orion">IEC</keyword>) amid aggressive misselling of courses to parents. "Hey BYJU'S and <keyword id="8080458" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="whitehat-jr" source="Orion">WhiteHat Jr</keyword>... Trust me I am pushing my daughter to start learning coding, and do IIT JEE preparations with you guys, but she is just not willing to do so. Kids these days don't listen to their parents. She just wants to be an artist. So, please stop calling me to sell these plans/devices," Prashant <keyword id="445" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sharma" source="Orion">Sharma</keyword>, who is into business development and a consultant with a penchant for storytelling, posted on LinkedIn. His post led to a barrage of similar situation being faced by parents all over the country, who are fed by constant aggressive selling of courses by the edtech representatives. <keyword id="14487485" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="srikant-ganesh" source="Orion">Srikant Ganesh</keyword>, Vice President at Dentsu Creative India, posted that he can totally relate to Sharma's experience. "My 9 year old son's into chess, plays the keyboard and is into speed-cubing and has no inclination towards computers / coding as such. I believe BYJU's and WhiteHat's of the world realise that there's more to kids these days than just learning to code and yes! They have a mind of their own and no one can push them into something they are not inclined towards. This false sense of FOMO being created by such brands should stop and so should the calls," Ganesh lamented. After the Centre took serious note of mis-selling of courses to parents by edtech firms, self-regulatory organisation IEC said it is committed to protecting consumer interest and has resolved 100 per cent complaints received till June. However, fresh complaints surfaced on social media platforms this month, indicating that the problem has not been addressed in totality. "This happened to me. The sales representatives of #Byju's need to be trained to handle a 'No'. I have personally experienced this when a representative called my wife and she said that we don't want to enroll. He kept calling and then I had to intervene. He kept insisting that your child had been registered on their site, so how could we say No! He didn't seem to understand and finally I had to explain to him by activating my desi side. I registered my complaint on their site but it was removed the next day," posted Dheeraj Grover, Senior Manager, HR, at VVDN Technologies. Thangarathnavel M., Head of Business Development-South Asia at German company Covestro, said on LinkedIn that he could fully relate to it too. "I had enrolled my son 2 years back but it was not much of any use. Few months back I started receiving calls from them again to enrol my son for the physical classes. But even after saying no, the calls never stopped. Once I gave a piece of my mind to one of the callers and asked him to share the mobile number of Mr. BYJU. Now the calls have stopped coming. Hope they stop this forever," he described his plight. Earlier this month, the Centre warned edtech companies against unfair trade practices. In a meeting with the IEC, Consumer Affairs Secretary, Rohit <keyword id="255172" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kumar-singh" source="Orion">Kumar Singh</keyword>, said that if self-regulation does not curb unfair trade practices, then stringent guidelines would be formulated for ensuring transparency. The meeting was attended by representatives of the IAMAI, along with IEC member companies including upGrad, BYJU'S, Unacademy, Vedantu, Great Learning, WhiteHat Jr, and Sunstone. During the meeting, issues pertaining to unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements for the Indian edtech sector figured prominently. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/opinion-green-financing-in-india-need-significance-urgency-and-way-forward/articleshow/92948265.cms">OPINION: Green financing in India — Need, significance, urgency, and way forward</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/top-10-airlines-in-the-world/slidelist/92950615.cms">Top 10 Airlines in the world in 2022: Stats and performance explained</a>

My child likes chess not coding, parents fume at edtech marketers on social media

<ul><li>The Indian government has warned cab aggregators over rising consumer complaints.</li><li>The government is expected to issue guidelines to remove unfair trade practices.</li><li>The government has also asked aggregators to reveal their algorithm and policies for determining price and cancellation charges.</li></ul>The government has come down heavily on cab aggregators like <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> and <keyword id="6354720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola" source="Orion">Ola</keyword> amid increasing consumer complaints over “unfair trade practices” such as surge pricing, ride cancellation, drivers refusing to turn on the air conditioner and more. According to a <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/auto/indian-govt-directs-ola-uber-to-improve-cab-quality-services-stop-unfair-trade-practice-2462130.html">report</a>, the consumer affairs ministry held a meeting with companies such as Uber, Ola, Rapido, Meru Cabs and Jugnoo and warned the companies of strict action. The main issues under discussion included the surge pricing, frequent cancellation of rides by drivers over trivial issues such as the destination and payment mode, refusal to turn on air conditioners in cabs, different pricing for different users and more. Cab aggregators have announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/uber-announces-a-price-hike-of-12-for-cab-rides-in-delhi/articleshow/90793725.cms">price hikes</a> in several cities across the country. One of the reasons announced for the price hike was the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/petrol-and-diesel-prices-hiked-for-the-13th-time-in-15-days/articleshow/90655551.cms">increasing</a> cost of petrol and diesel in the country. Some cab drivers have also been <a href="https://telanganatoday.com/cab-drivers-in-hyderabad-to-charge-extra-for-ac-amid-rising-fuel-prices">refusing</a> to turn on the air conditioner, asking riders to pay an additional amount. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Govt warns about strict action" comment="subhead" text="Govt warns about strict action">Govt warns about strict action</cmsannotation> “We told them (cab aggregators) about the rising consumer complaints against their platforms. We gave them the statistics also. We have asked them to improve their system and redress the consumer complaints otherwise the competent authority will take strict action,” Rohit Kumar Singh, consumer affairs secretary said after the meeting. "The authority is likely to issue an advisory to ensure that unfair trade practices by cab aggregators are not carried on in violation of consumers' rights," said Nidhi Khare, chief commissioner, Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). "The number of complaints is very high and therefore we have called the cab aggregators for an explanation of their policies," Khare said. “We are engaged with the Department of Consumer Affairs and deeply appreciate the feedback provided by them and will continue to provide our inputs. We strive to be the platform of choice for riders and drivers alike and continue to invest in technology and customer support to deliver an excellent experience for them," Nitish Bhushan, Head of Central Operations, Uber India and South Asia said in a statement to Business Insider India "We are committed to continually raising the bar – for ourselves, our industry, and most importantly for the people who use our services," Bhushan added. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Inflated price for old customers" comment="subhead" text="Inflated price for old customers">Inflated price for old customers</cmsannotation> Another issue that has come under the government’s scanner is surge pricing and differential pricing for old and new customers. "It appears that cab aggregators are using algorithms to lure new customers, putting old customers at a disadvantage. This is an unfair practice," Khare added. As per the regulator, cab aggregators are charging a premium to their existing customers and offering discounts to lure new customers. Differential pricing for the same location has been termed as an “unfair practice” by the regulator. Khare has added that aggregators will be called upon to reveal their algorithms and policies that are used to determine prices, cancellation charges and surge prices. The aggregators have also been asked to reveal the steps taken by them to safeguard customer’s personal data on their platforms. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ubers-ceo-said-hiring-will-be-treated-as-a-privilege-and-inefficient-incentives-will-be-cut/articleshow/91439331.cms">Uber's CEO said hiring will be treated as a 'privilege' and inefficient incentives will be cut</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/how-a-group-of-youtubers-pranked-a-scam-call-centre-in-india-that-earns-18-million-per-year/articleshow/91463331.cms">Here's how a group of YouTubers pranked a scam call centre in India that makes $18 million per year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/top-profitable-startups-in-india-in-2021-22-zerodha-zoho-dream-11-and-firstcry-in-the-list/slidelist/91484233.cms">Top 10 profitable startups in India – from Zerodha to Zoho and Firstcry, here’s the list</a>

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Centre to form panel to seek views on adopting universal charger model

India joins EU in mandating USB-C charging port on smartphones, as Americans still have to deal with 3 different types of ports and cables

Britney Nguyen

My child likes chess not coding, parents fume at edtech marketers on social media

IANS

Indian government accuses Ola, Uber and other aggregators of inflating cab prices for older customers

Sourabh Jain

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