Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday raised concerns in Parliament over prepaid mobile recharge practices, arguing that the current system places an unfair burden on consumers. He questioned the 28-day recharge cycle used by telcos and the restrictions imposed on users once their plans expire.
Taking to social media after his intervention in the House, Chadha said he had raised the issue of what he described as “loot being perpetrated on prepaid recharge customers in Parliament today”.
“If you run out of recharge, it makes sense to block outgoing calls, but blocking incoming calls is arbitrary. Once the recharge expires, no one can contact you, and essential messages like OTPs cannot reach your phone. In emergency situations, the person becomes helpless,” he shared on X.
Chadha also criticized the widely used 28-day recharge cycle, calling it a “scam”.
“The 28-day recharge plan is a scam. There are 12 months in a year, but you have to recharge 13 times (28 days x 13 times = 364 days),” he said.
He added that recharge validity should ideally align with 30- or 31-day calendar months, arguing that the current system effectively forces users to pay for additional recharges each year.
“Nowadays, a mobile phone is no longer a luxury, but rather a necessity for the average citizen,” Chadha said, urging telecom companies to adopt a fair and transparent approach towards consumers.
Popular providers like Jio, Airtel and Vodafone have data pack and call recharge options, ranging from 1.5, 2.5 or 3.5GB, among other plans.
Customers are notified several days in advance before their recharge expires and are urged to complete the recharge process.
