In Short:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is planning to make stricter rules to stop annoying calls and messages on mobile phones. The penalties for offenders will be increased. TRAI will release a consultation paper soon to discuss these new rules. They are also working to restrict people from using normal numbers for promotional calls. The government has introduced new numbering series for such calls to help with this. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is also working on draft rules to stop these annoying communications. TRAI, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and Ministry of Consumer Affairs will collaborate to create a helpline for consumers to report pesky calls.
TRAI to Intensify Efforts Against Pesky Communication
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is stepping up efforts to tackle pesky communications that disrupt mobile phone users.
Increased Penalties and Tighter Rules
Anil Kumar Lahoti, chairman of TRAI, announced plans to enhance penalties and introduce a consultation paper in the coming months to strengthen regulations. Measures include restricting promotional calls made from regular 10-digit numbers, introducing a separate numbering series for promotional calls, and ongoing allotment of numbers for curbing unsolicited communications.
Collaborative Approach
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has drafted rules to address pesky communications as unfair trade practices. Various government departments are working in tandem, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) launching the ‘Chakshu’ platform to report fraudulent communications. TRAI, DoT, and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs are joining forces to establish a consumer helpline for complaints against spam calls and will partner with the Jago Grahak Jago initiative to raise awareness about the helpline number.
