Govt mulls adoption of common charger for all devices; calls meet on Aug 17

New Delhi: The government is exploring the adoption of a common charger for a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets, and has called a meeting on August 17 to discuss the issue with the industry, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said on Tuesday.

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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.

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.

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"If companies can serve in Europe and the US, why cannot they do it in India? Portable electronic devices like smartphones and tablets should have a common charger," the official told PTI.

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.