New Delhi, April 8 -- Counterfeiting and smuggling in India form a "shadow economy" that directly harms consumers, undermines their trust through unsafe and substandard products, threatens honest businesses, and drains public funds, Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Food and Consumer Affairs, said today.

"Smuggling and counterfeiting are not victimless crimes. They form a shadow economy that directly harms the consumer through the unsafe, substandard or even toxic products, undermines honest business," Joshi said.

He was virtually addressing the FICCI CASCADE Seminar on protecting consumers from the threat of smuggling and counterfeiting.

"The economic growth is meaningless if it is not built on a trust and consumer safety,' he said, adding t...