Govt meeting for common charger solution concludes today; Industry gets more time for adoption

Industry should be given reasonable time before making it mandatory. More discussion is needed for the protection of consumers, according to sources.

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New Delhi: The government meeting regarding common charger solution has been concluded today. The major takeaways that come from the meeting were that Industry should be given reasonable time before making it mandatory. More discussion is needed for the protection of consumers. Besides, a sub-committee will be formed for the common charger, according to sources. Soon the first sitting will be held of the sub-committee.

The government is exploring the adoption of a common charger for a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets, and called a meeting on August 17 to discuss the issue with the industry

Recently, the European Union announced the adoption of a USB-C port common charging standard for small electronic devices by 2024. A similar demand is in the US as well.

The meeting with mobile makers and sector-specific organisations has been scheduled to assess the possibility of ending the use of multiple chargers in India and reduce the burden on consumers besides preventing e-waste, the official said.

If India does not push for this change, such products might get dumped here, the official added. Currently, consumers are forced to buy a separate charger every time they buy a new device due to incompatibility of the ports of the existing charger. E-waste a big concern for India and it is growing exponentially with the dumping of old devices.