A top official on Monday stressed upon the need for the companies in the Direct Selling business to set-up a more robust and sound consumer grievance redressal mechanism to gain consumer confidence.

Speaking at the '5th Edition of DIRECT 2018' organized by FICCI, Anil Bahuguna, Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, said, "Customer base will further augment and strengthen if you have a robust grievance redressal system and care for customer and consumer".

He further highlighted that Direct Selling companies have to be more self-regulated and self-disciplined than being dependent only on the legal framework set-up by the government.

Bejon Misra, Founder, Consumer Online Foundation & Consumer Protection policies said, " The Direct Selling Guidelines notified by Government of India in September 2016 is the right step to encourage adoption of global best practices for State Governments to consider regulating the business of Direct Selling and Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) and strengthen the existing regulatory mechanism on Direct Selling and MLM, for preventing fraud and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers".  

Rajat Banerji, Chairman FICCI Direct Selling Task Force & VP-Corporate Affairs, Amway India Enterprises said that "FICCI Direct provides a platform to bring together industry and government to deliberate on issues pertaining to Direct Selling industry. Implementation of Direct Selling guidelines in all the States is one such issue."

Shilpa Ajwani, Managing Director, Tupperware India highlighted the need for more women entering the direct selling business thereby making them more independent along with earning a good income and this sector has the potential to create more employment opportunities.

Suhaan Mukerji, Founding Partner, PLR Chamber said, "The Direct Selling Industry is growing from strength to strength, providing entrepreneurship and employment opportunities with the able support of Government of India and various State Governments implementing the Model Guidelines issued by Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Capacity building through partnerships between industry, government agencies and civil society is necessary to enable effective implementation and monitoring to protect consumer interest."

Samir Modi, Founder & Managing Director, Modicare Limited through his message said "The Direct Selling Industry today has a direct and high impact on our nation. It is empowering millions of Indians all over India, even in the smallest of villages and towns to achieve their dreams and build a strong nation."