Consumer affairs minister Prahlad Joshi slams air purifier firms for misleading claims

At an event marking World Standards Day, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday took air purifier manufacturers to task for making deceptive claims about their products. He emphasised the need for greater consumer awareness as winter approaches, a season when Delhi’s air quality worsens due to crop stubble burning in neighbouring states, as mentioned in PTI.

Joshi raised concerns about the misleading marketing strategies employed by some companies and urged consumers to be cautious, particularly with pollution levels expected to rise in the coming months. His remarks come as air purifier sales typically see a spike ahead of the winter pollution season.

"Discussion on air pollution has begun. Looking at Air Quality Index (AQI) on mobiles, people out of fear, go and buy air purifiers. Air purifiers make such false claims. ...We see air purifiers and so much is written but nothing is there in it. There is just a fan in it, yet claims are still At a World Standards Day event on Monday," the minister stated.

Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged a joint effort between the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the consumer affairs ministry, and the public to tackle the problem of misleading claims made by air purifier manufacturers. Speaking at a World Standards Day event, Joshi stressed the need for greater vigilance as pollution levels are set to rise in the winter months.

"I do not blame BIS for this. BIS in the last few years has done an exceptionally wonderful job. But both BIS and the consumer affairs ministry and consumers together need to create awareness. It is important, and I strongly feel (this way)," the minister emphasised the shared responsibility in addressing deceptive product claims.

Minister Pralhad Joshi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing safe, reliable, and high-quality products and services to all Indians. Amid growing concerns over air quality and the rise of the air purifier market, Joshi also announced plans to make BIS standards mandatory for public procurement on the GeM portal, emphasising the government's focus on quality by incorporating global standards into Cabinet proposals.

He said, "These days, the tradition has started in the Union Cabinet. Wherever a bill to be introduced in Parliament comes before the Cabinet, the global standard note comes with it. That has been made mandatory for the Cabinet".

This note outlines the top-performing countries in the field, details the regulations, and explains how India can achieve similar success. "So, we have to match every Cabinet note with the global standards. This helps our government to make decisions to set high standards whether it is quality infrastructure or urban metro trains." Implementation of standards at national level has been given a top priority by the government and is actively bringing more products under mandatory quality controls, he said.

Minister Pralhad Joshi highlighted that over 22,300 standards are currently enforced in India, with 94% aligned with international benchmarks like ISO and IEC. He noted a rise in Quality Control Orders from 14 in 2014 to 174 today, covering 732 products.

Emphasising the symbiotic relationship between consumers and producers, Joshi urged the BIS to lead in global standardisation efforts and expedite new standards. World Standards Day, celebrated annually on October 14, promotes awareness about standards and their role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.