A consumer affairs ministry official said that the government is looking into 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. The official said that a meeting with mobile makers and sector-specific organisations was scheduled to take place to assess the possibility of ending the use of multiple chargers in India and to reduce the burden on consumers besides preventing e-waste.
The European Union has been preparing to adopt a common USB-C port charging standard for small electronic devices by the year 2024. The US has similar demand as well.
If companies can serve Europe and the US, why can't they do it in India? The official told PTI that mobile devices like smartphones and tablets should have a common charger. If India does not push for this change, such products could be dumped here, the official said. There is a fact that consumers are forced to buy a separate charger every time they buy a new device because of the incompatibility of the ports of the existing charger.