Twenty civil services coaching centres under investigation for misleading advertisements

New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is currently investigating 20 IAS coaching centres for alleged misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices.

These coaching centres are accused of using the names and pictures of toppers and successful candidates to influence prospective aspirants.

Nidhi Khare, Chairperson of CCPA, announced that the authority has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on four of these institutes: Rau's IAS Study Circle, Chahal Academy, IQRA IAS, and IAS Baba.

Notices have also been issued to several other coaching centres, including Vajirao & Reddy Institute, Chahal Academy, Khan Study Group IAS, APTI Plus, Analog IAS, Shankar IAS, Sriram's IAS, BYJU's IAS, Unacademy, NEXT IAS, Drishti IAS, Vision IAS, IAS Baba, Yojana IAS, Plutus IAS, ALS IAS, Rau's IAS Study Circle, and Dhishti IAS.

The penalties and notices come as a result of these coaching institutes concealing important information about successful students.

In many cases, the same rank holder is claimed as their student, even though the successful candidate may have taken coaching in multiple institutes for different subjects or exams.

Furthermore, many institutes fail to disclose the specific courses in which successful students were enrolled. This lack of transparency can mislead prospective aspirants who may enrol in an institute that does not have a good track record for their specific exam.

Khare emphasised that proper disclosures are essential to protect the interests of prospective aspirants. With accurate information, aspirants can make informed decisions and avoid wasting their time and money on coaching centres that do not meet their needs.

The coaching industry in India has a current market revenue of approximately Rs 58,088 crore, with a significant number of students seeking coaching in cities like Kota and Delhi. Coaching centres often engage in extensive advertising campaigns, especially after the results of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam are announced.

The UPSC exam sees around 900 successful candidates out of more than 10 lakh aspirants each year.

The investigation aims to curb misleading practices in the coaching industry and ensure that aspirants receive accurate information about their chances of success when enrolling in coaching centres.