Centre Proposes ‘Country of Origin’ Filter for E-Commerce Platforms

The Department of Consumer Affairs has proposed an amendment to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, that would require e-commerce platforms to provide searchable and sortable country-of-origin filters for packaged commodities.

This move aims to make ‘Made in India’ products easily discoverable, give domestic products equal visibility alongside imported ones, and help consumers make informed choices in favour of local alternatives.

The draft seeks to add a proviso to Sub-Rule (10) of Rule 6, which currently requires e-commerce entities to display mandatory declarations such as the country of origin. The proposed change will allow users to search and sort products by country of origin, improving transparency and reducing the time needed to find such details across vast product listings.

The new proposal is part of the government’s broader ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ ‘Vocal for Local,’ and consumer transparency initiatives, which in recent years have focused on promoting domestic manufacturing and enabling informed consumer choices.

Notably, the requirement to display the name of the country of origin and other mandatory declarations was introduced through a 2017 amendment to the Rules, which came into effect on January 1, 2018. Consequently, the new proposal is also expected to assist in efficiently monitoring compliance, verifying product information, and identifying violations without the need for manual review of each listing.

Stakeholder comments are invited until November 22.