The Indian Banks' Association is highly sensitised towards this need and, in conjunction with the Reserve Bank of India and the constituent banks, is taking concrete steps to put in place a self-regulatory mechanism in the form of a fair practice code to be followed by the banks, a model code of conduct for the DSAs involved in the banks' business, and an effective consumer redress mechanism to address consumer grievances.

Several measures are being considered to handle unsolicited calls from telemarketers. One such proposed solution is the institutions of a "Do not call" registry mechanism, which will help the customer, avoid unwanted telephonic solicitation calls by placing their contact details on this common registry.

Another measure could be the setting up of a ring-tone that will advise the caller that it is a sales call. This service can be activated by the consumer when he does not want to be disturbed. These methods are technically possible and our telecom service providers should offer them to customers.

Any approach to ban promotional and marketing calls will deprive the customers of the benefits and be a severe hindrance to those who are open to receiving information about various products and services. The solution is to empower the consumer and give him the choice of receiving a call rather than banning the activity altogether.