The Central Consumer Protection Authority has introduced a new set of guidelines namely Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 for advertisement vide notification dated 9th June 2022 (“Guidelines”). The guidelines aim to streamline the standards of advertisement with stringent provisions regarding bait advertisement, surrogate advertisement, free claim advertisement and advertisement that is accessible to children. The guidelines further mandate the requirement of due diligence and disclosures by endorsers and elucidates the duties of manufacturers, service providers, advertisers and advertising agencies.

Lately NFTs are making a buzz all over social media and hitting the headlines. Everyone is talking about this new revolutionary concept that is apparently redirecting trends and redefining transactions.

The Government on 26th August, 2021, released a new set of liberalised rules to supervise the country's budding drone industry, which it claims would "usher in an era of supernormal growth" while balancing safety and security concerns.

In terms of clientele and financial transactions, the Employees' Provident Funds Organization (EPFO) is one of the world's largest social security organizations. The EPFO had issued a notification dated April 30, 2021, which had made it mandatory for its subscribers to link their Aadhar Card with PF UAN (Universal Account Number) so that the employers are able to file Employee Cum Return (ECR) challan and deposit the money into the employees or subscribers Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Account.

The Ministry of of Information and Broadcasting (“Ministry”) Vide Notification dated 17th June 2021 published in the official Gazette of India the Ministry has come out with an exhaustive piece of legislation to amend the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 by the powers conferred in the Ministry through Section 22 of the Act….

The Advertising Standards Council of India (“ASCI”) on 27th May, 2021, released the final ‘Guidelines For Influencer Advertising In Digital Media’ (“Guidelines”) in an attempt to clearly define the ever increasing blurring lines between ‘content’ and ‘advertisement’ and to foster the ability in consumers to identify if something is being promoted with an intention to influence their opinion or behaviour for an immediate or eventual commercial gain.

The RBI on May 10, 2021 amended its Master Direction on KYC in order to further strengthen the video based KYC process…

Owing to the situation of nation-wide lockdown and its impact on the various business sectors across India, Reserve Bank of India had permitted banks to grant moratorium on payments of all installments in respect of term loans for three months i.e. from 1st March, 2020 to 31st May, 2020. Later, the period of Moratorium was extended up to a further period of three months i.e. till 31st August, 2020 by RBI.

Ministry of Consumers Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (“Ministry”) on 23rd July 2020 notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 (“Rules, 2020”) for e-commerce entities including marketplace and inventory based e-commerce entities in which retailers directly sell services or goods to the consumers. Earlier, vide notification dated 15th July 2020 issued by the Ministry; the Consumer Protection Act 1986 was superseded by the Consumer Protection Act 2019 (“Act, 2019”).

On account of COVID-19, Government of India on May 13, 2020, announced a slew of incentives and reforms for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (“MSMEs”)