Even V-P trapped by fake weight-loss ad

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu once nearly fell victim to a misleading advertisement about weight loss. Naidu made this disclosure in the House as he directed the Government to find ways to restrict such advertisements. Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan urged the House to pass a Bill pertaining to this issue.

Narrating his experience, Naidu said after becoming the Vice President he came across the advertisement claiming weight loss in 28 days. After making payment of Rs 1,230 to the company as demanded in the advertisement, more money was sought for delivering the “original” medicine, he said in his characteristic witty style.

Upon learning about the demand, Naidu then said humorously, “You know my mentality. I did not leave the matter there,” adding that he asked his staff to raise the matter with the concerned Ministry. The Minister concerned, he said, acted promptly and an inquiry was carried out. However,

it was found that the advertisement originated from the US, the Minister informed him, Naidu said.

He revealed his ordeal after Naresh Agrawal (SP) flagged the issue seeking strict laws to check adulteration and misleading advertisements. While several countries had already cracked down on adulteration, Agrawal said some eminent film personalities in India were endorsing products claiming weight loss, height gain and six packs.

Responding to the concerns of Naidu and others, Paswan admitted that it was a serious matter and said the current Consumer Protection Act is 31 years old. The NDA Government has drafted a new Bill. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2015 and referred to the Standing Committee after discussion.

The Standing Committee gave “good suggestions” and the Union Cabinet approved the new Bill recently as it covered most of the concerns, he said adding the Bill will be introduced soon in the Lok Sabha. He urged the Elders not to refer the Bill again to the Standing Committee once it comes to the Upper House so that the Bill can be passed at the earliest.

On another issue, Naidu associated himself with the MPs after Ritabrata Banerjee, who was recently expelled from the CPI(M), urged the Government to declare Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birthday on January 23 as a national holiday and “Desh Prem Diwas” (day of patriotism). It will be fitting tribute to the “forgotten hero” of the Independence struggle, Banerjee said and narrated the tale of Bose’s daring escape from house arrest by the British in Kolkata to reach Germany via Afghanistan. Cutting across party lines, the Elders backed Banerjee’s submission.

Naidu then said Bose is a “great hero” and asked the Government to take note of the demand made by the MPs. He, however, clarified that Banerjee was “sentimentally right” and it is up to the Government to take a decision.

Drawing the attention of the House to the plight of farmers, Dilip Tirkey (BJD) asked the Government to raise the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to help more than 60 lakh farmers engaged in cultivating it in Odisha. Several MPs from various parties associated themselves with Tirkey and also backed demand for waiving off loans of farmers in the backdrop of agrarian crisis in the country. This issue was raised by KK Ragesh (CPM).

Harivansh (JD-U) drew the attention of the House to three recent incidents of mistreatment of passengers by private airlines including physical assault of a passenger and rude behaviour with sportsperson PV Sindhu. He asked the Government to ensure that private airlines follow rules and regulations. Agrawal quipped while MPs are banned by airlines for any misdemeanor, employees of the airlines are not punished.

Rajani Patil (Congress) raised the issue of the major fire that broke out in a building in Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel in Mumbai.

Shwait Malik (BJP) demanded a strict law to check cyber crimes like hacking, cyber bullying and cyber terrorism, saying cyber crime was like a termite which is eclipsing the achievements made in IT and digital advancement. Pramod Tiwari (Congress) raised the issue of unspent amount of Rs 2,600 crore meant for Ganga river cleaning.