NEW DELHI:  India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer, is watching the ongoing conflict in the Middle East closely, the country’s oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday. Oil prices rose over $3 a barrel on Monday as military clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas deepened political uncertainty across the Middle East and raised concerns about supplies.  “The place where action is taking place is in many respects the centre of global energy… as we go along we will navigate through this,” Mr Puri told reporters at an industry event in New Delhi. Global uncertainties of such nature encourage people to use sustainable, cleaner fuels, Mr Puri said, adding that $100 per barrel crude oil prices was unsustainable. Higher oil prices typically lead to surge in inflation and hurts growth in large-scale importer like India. Last week, India had urged oil producers to show “sensitivity” towards consuming countries, hit by prices largely trading above $90 a barrel since Saudi Arabia and Russia decided to extend voluntary cuts to year-end. Oct 09,2023 Source: NDTV

The Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) has accused insurance companies of “unfairly” rejecting claims by patients and blatantly disregarding guidelines laid down by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India. The AHPI , which is a collective of hospitals and other healthcare providers, contended that private insurance companies have formed an “alarming cartel”. These companies are collectively discontinuing cashless facilities provided to hospitals, depriving patients of their right to choose treatment and healthcare providers in an arbitrary manner, the AHPI charged in a statement. The real victims in this situation, the AHPI said, are the insured patients. As claims are denied, individuals find themselves in urgent need of funds to cover mounting medical expenses, especially those seeking emergency care while private hospitals find themselves grappling with escalating costs and mounting losses due to the conduct of these insurance companies, the association contended. Director General of AHPI, said, “The AHPI’s efforts to rectify this situation have been met with resistance. Multiple complaints have been filed with IRDAI, but no tangible action has been taken yet. Several members from across the nation have also reported similar harassment by insurance companies, prompting us to take these concerns seriously.” “Consequently, we are now considering legal action and approaching the Competition Commission of India to draw attention to these concerning practices. One particularly distressing case that I came across involved the sudden de-empanelment of one of our member hospitals in Delhi by a well-known insurance company. Shockingly, the insurer insisted on substantial discounts from the previously agreed-upon rates, resulting in the de-empanelment without providing a satisfactory justification,” Dr Gyani stated. The AHPI has demanded action against such private insurance companies. Oct 09,2023 Source: The Economic Times

New Delhi:  The GST Council on Saturday decided to levy a lower 5 per cent tax on millet-based flour when sold in pre-packaged and labelled form, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. Flour, containing at least 70 per cent millets, will attract zero per cent GST if sold loose, and 5 per cent if sold pre-packaged and labelled. The 52nd GST Council meeting, chaired by Union finance minister and comprising state counterparts, also decided to cap the maximum age of President and members of the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT). This is a change from the earlier age limit of 67 and 65 years, respectively, for the President and members of GSTAT. The Council also decided to reduce GST on molasses to 5 per cent, from 28 per cent, and exempt alcohol for human consumption from the levy. Oct 07,2023 Source: NDTV

Several Aavin consumers have complained about milk in sachets not being reconstituted properly and having milk solids, the shelf life getting shorter and below-par quality of curd made using the milk. An official of the dairy major, however, said it could be because of inadequate cold storage facilities at the retailer’s end. Indira Lakshman, a resident of Triplicane, said she buys Aavin milk in blue sachets and curds using this milk are not as good as they used to be. “When I scoop out the curd, it is gooey. It just doesn’t taste right. Someone said I should try making curd using some other samples, which I have tried but to no avail,” she said. S. Vishwanathan, a resident of Pattabiram and an Aavin customer for 15 years, said his family consumed full cream milk. These days the milk is diluted. According to Seethalakshmi, a home-maker of Thoraipakkam, her family has been long-time consumer of Aavin products. “But now curdling of milk is giving us a headache. As and when milk curdles, we need extra milk leading to additional expenses and more trips to the shop,” she said. Consumer activist T. Sadagopan alleged that the number of complaints about Aavin milk getting spoiled had been increasing over the past few months. “People are complaining that the milk is not thick enough, meaning the fat and non-fat content are not properly balanced. In some places, people are getting milk with milk-powder solids in it.” S. A. Ponnusamy of the Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers’ Employees’ Welfare Association said as a consumer even he faced issues due to quality of the milk. “The milk powder settles down in the utensil when I boil it. Unless Aavin increases procurement, these issues will continue. They are struggling with procurement of 30 lakh litres a day while sale of milk stands at a little over 29 lakh litres a day. The State government should step in and ensure that the milk major gets a fresh lease of life,” he said. However, an official in Aavin said there were no issues with the reconstitution of the milk where butter and milk powder were mixed to ensure the correct fat and solids-not-fat content in each variant. Most complaints attributed to sachet milk (curdling, spoilage) were due to lack of cold storage facility at the retailer’s end, an issue faced by all dairy brands, the official said. Oct 10,2023 Source: The Hindu

New Delhi:  The government on Wednesday raised the subsidy provided to poor women, who got free cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana, to ₹ 300 per cylinder as it looked to blunt opposition criticism of high fuel prices. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs raised the subsidy from ₹ 200 per 14.2-kg cylinders for up to 12 refils per year to ₹ 300 per bottle, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters here. Ahead of assembly elections in five states, including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the government had in late August cut cooking gas price by ₹ 200 per cylinder. After this, LPG cylinder price came down to ₹ 903. For Ujjwala beneficiaries, the price was ₹ 703 after considering the ₹ 200 per cylinder subsidy, which is directly paid into the bank accounts of connection holders. After the increase in subsidy, a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder will now cost ₹ 603 for Ujjwala beneficiaries. The move follows criticism by opposition parties of high LPG price. Parties like Congress are promising LPG cylinder at ₹ 500 if voted to power. The hike in subsidy is being seen as an attempt to blunt that criticism. Mr Thakur did not say how much additional subsidy outgo the move would entail. For 2022-23, ₹ 6,100 crore was provided for the Ujjwala subsidy, which increased to ₹ 7,680 crore in the current 2023-24 fiscal (April 2023 to March 2024). The subsidy is credited directly to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries. The targeted support to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) consumers encourages them for continuous use of LPG. The average LPG consumption of PMUY consumers increased 20 per cent from 3.01 refills in 2019-20 to 3.68 in 2021-22. All PMUY beneficiaries are eligible for the targeted subsidy. To make Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), a clean cooking fuel, available to rural and deprived poor households, the government launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016, to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women of poor households. Oct 05,2023 Source: NDTV

HYDERABAD: A district consumer forum here has directed India Post to pay 20,000 as compensation to a retired IPS officer whose parcel was tampered with and articles missing. In the complaint, VK Singh submitted that he had sent articles in four packets via India Post at GPO , Hyderabad through a person named Rawoof. He further claimed that a person overlooking the delivery had deliberately advised to unpack the parcels. The complainant said saris and bed sheets were placed in one packet, while the other packet comprised shirts, pants, medical books and plastic containers, among others. He further alleged that when the articles reached the destination in Haridwar, ten saris worth 20,000 were missing. Singh said that video recordings of the packets taken during the dispatch and after arrival at the destination clearly shows the difference. It was also found that the packets were tampered with intentionally. Singh added that such cases have been reported earlier as well. Left with no other option, Singh approached the commission for redressal. Meanwhile, India Post, in its written version, submitted that after receiving the complaint from Singh, they enquired and it was revealed that articles were received at the post office in good condition and the same were delivered to the addressee on June 13, 2022. They claimed that the complaint had not declared the value of articles and pointed out that if the customer was sending valuable items through registered parcels, he could have insured the parcel to its intrinsic value. The bench said the postal department officials concerned are accountable for the loss. Along with compensation, the consumer forum also awarded 5,000 towards costs of the complaint. Oct 01,2023 Source: The Economic Times

The Delhi High Court has stated that the goal of broadcasting offensive and offensive anti-tobacco imagery in the health commercials during movie showings in theatres, on television, and on OTT platforms is to educate people about the illnesses and negative impacts of using tobacco products. The court made this statement while rejecting a petition asking that the government be ordered to restrict the airing of anti-tobacco health advertisements during movie showings in theatres, on television, and on over-the-top (OTT) platforms, which contain graphic or offensive visuals. New Delhi, The purpose of showing distasteful and gross anti-tobacco imagery in the health spots during film screenings in cinema halls and on television and OTT platforms is to make people aware of the ailments and ill-effects of consuming tobacco products, the Delhi High Court has said. The court’s observation came while dismissing a petition seeking directions to the government to prohibit the display of anti-tobacco health spots during film screenings in cinema halls and on television and OTT platforms, which have graphic or gross images. The court said the petition was backed by the tobacco industry lobby to prevent the government from raising awareness against tobacco use, which is the sole cause for a number of ailments among people, and restrain authorities from ensuring that people do not become tobacco addicts. The court also raised concerns over the abuse of the process of public interest litigation (PIL), which it said was actually a tool for providing a voice to the voiceless but is now being used for private gains. “With a view to deter people from smoking tobacco and tobacco products, the Government of India has brought in advertisements to educate people about the ill-effects of tobacco and tobacco products. “The graphic description given in these government-issued advertisements which, according to the petitioner, are gross and graphic imagery, are in fact meant to be eye-openers for the people not to use tobacco and tobacco products and is, therefore, in public interest,” Justice Subramonium Prasad said in an order that was passed earlier but made available on the court’s website on Tuesday. The high court said the purpose of displaying distasteful, gross and graphic anti-tobacco imagery in the health spots played during the screening of movies and television programmes is only to make people aware of the ailments and ill-effects of consuming tobacco and tobacco products and show them what tobacco can do to their health. The court said it is the duty of the State to take steps to ensure that the health of the citizens is protected and this petition is a gross abuse of the process of law. Oct 04,2023 Source: The Economic Times

A global study involving 30,000 individuals from India has found a strong link between frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and decreased mental wellbeing. The study revealed that those who consumed UPFs several times a day were nearly three times more likely to struggle with their mental health compared to those who rarely or never consumed these foods. Frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods may be strongly linked to sharp decreases in mental wellbeing across genders, age groups and nationalities, a mega global study that included 30,000 individuals from India has found. Those who consumed ultra-processed(UPFs) several times a day were nearly three times more likely to be distressed or struggling with their mental health as compared to those who rarely or never consumed these foods, responses from nearly 3 lakh people worldwide analysed by US-based nonprofit, Sapiens Labs, revealed in the report released Monday. UPFs are loosely defined as foods produced on an industrial scale and generally include aerated drinks, packaged chips and snacks, many confectionary items and pre-packaged heat-and-eat meals. “There is some controversy on how to properly define UPFs. The simple rule of thumb is that if it contains ingredients you don’t have and processing that you can’t do in a home kitchen then it probably qualifies,” said neuro-scientist. Oct 03,2023 Source: The Economic Times

Missing out one biscuit in a packet cost ₹1 lakh to FMCG major ITC. A Chennai-based consumer forum directed ITC Limited to pay ₹1 lakh for packing one biscuit less in a 16-biscuit “Sun Feast Marie Light” pack. A Chennai-based resident bought ‘Sun Feast Marie Light’ biscuits to feed stray dogs. To his surprise, he found one biscuit less in the packets. When he went to ask for an explanation from the local store, his queries were left unanswered. Later, he approached ITC for an explanation. However, the company didn’t respond properly, reported Times of India in its report. The event dates back to two years ago, when P Dillibabu of MMDA Mathur, in Chennai, bought two biscuit packets from a retail store in Manali to feed stray animals in December 2021. He found only fifteen biscuits in one of the packets. The wrapper mentioned 16 biscuits in its packaging, but it had only 15 biscuits, according to TOI. ITC cheated the public of over ₹29 lakh every day In his complaint, he pointed out how the FMCG major cheated the public over ₹29 lakh every day by providing one biscuit less than mentioned in the biscuit packaging. P Dillibabu mentioned that the cost of each biscuit is ₹.75. Manufacturers produce around ₹50 lakh packets a day. On this basis, back-of-the-envelope calculations would suggest that the firm cheated the public of over ₹29 lakh every day, reported TOI citing the complaint filed by Dillibabu. In response, the company said that the biscuits in the wrapper are sold only based on their weight and not on the number of biscuits. The mentioned net weight of the biscuit packet was said to be 76 grams. On weighing biscuit packets it was found that all unwrapped biscuit packets only contained 74 grams. In this way, ITC’s defense of the complaint was also turned down. At last, the consumer court ordered ITC to pay ₹1 lakh to Dillibabu as compensation for adopting unfair trade practices. It also ordered the company to discontinue sales of the particular batch of biscuits. 6 Sep, 2023 Source : Livemint

mumbai: Holding the developers of the World One project in ‘Upper Worli’ (Lower Parel) liable for unfair trade practice in promoting a project without the requisite statutory approvals and of deficiency in service for a four-year delay in offering possession, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has ordered a refund of around Rs 33 crore for three flat buyer with 12% interest, with Rs 13 crore being the maximum payout. The project was promoted as “an iconic residential building comprising 117 floors and the tallest residential building in the world with several unique and premier features”. Construction was stalled around the 80th floor as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) did not give an NOC. In 2017, Premlata Garg (got Rs 13-cr payout), who had bought a three-bedroom flat measuring 2,044 sq ft in ‘The World Towers, Upper Worli’, approached the commission against Shreeniwas Cotton Mills Ltd (now merged and incorporated as Macrotech Developers Limited) and The Lodha Group. It was submitted that while the flat was bought in 2014, possession was to be received in 2015 and was delayed. The commission also pronounced orders with respect to other flat purchasers in the same project. While Mukesh Kumar Gupta will receive a refund Rs 10.3 crore with 12% interest, Agwarwal is to be paid Rs 9.8 crore with a similar interest. In a common order, the commission quoted the developers as denying the claims of the flat purchasers and submitting that the complainant was not entitled for refund since as per clause of the ATS (agreement to sell), the flat purchasers were required to terminate the agreement within 90 days of the expiry of the grace period, failing which it was deemed that they had accepted the revised date of possession. The commission, however, said, “Considering that the likelihood of legal offer of possession is remote in view of the absence of the requisite NOC for the proposed height of the building, seeking refund with compensation for delay is not unjustified”. It also said that as “allottees in a premier, iconic project the complainants cannot be compelled to accept possession and are entitled to seek refund of the money deposited”. The commission said that no document has been brought on record to explain why the construction of the building was stalled at the 80th floor or why the occupation certificate was available for up to 43 floors only. “In view of there not being any approval regarding the number of floors to be constructed because of the AAI’s NOC not being available and the offer of possession on the basis of a part occupation certificate which as per the ATS gives no legal right to the complainants, it cannot be disputed that the complainants were not within their rights to seek refund of their money with interest by way of compensation along with other reliefs,” the commission said. The developers had submitted that the flat buyer had not indicated the clause in the agreement relating to “factors beyond control of the opposite party” which included “… any notice, order, rule, notification of the Government or any other public or competent authority or of the court”. They submitted that the non-receipt of the NOC from the civil aviation department for height clearance fell under this clause. However, the commission said that this was not a sudden or unforeseen event, but was in their knowledge since the inception of the project as the NOC was not available to execute a 117-storey building. “Unfair trade practice and deficiency in service are writ large on the opposite party,” the commission said. 10 Sep, 2023 Source : THE TIMES OF INDIA