Consumer Dialogue
Vol. 9 No. 4 October—December 2016
IIPA
CCS Sponsored by
Department of Consumer Affairs
Government of India
Editorial Team Prof. Suresh Misra
Dr. Sapna Chadah
Dr. Mamta Pathania
Research & Design Pankaj Kr.Singh
Contact us : Centre for Consumer Studies Indian Institute of Public Administration,
I.P Estate New Delhi - 110002 Tel : 011-23468347 23468434, Email : [email protected], Website :
www.consumereducation.in
A Quarterly e-Newsletter of Centre for Consumer Studies (CCS)
1
Two Day Workshop on Consumer Protection and Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural
Development Officials and Service Providers
Two Day Workshop on Consumer Protection and Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural Development Officials and Service Providers
Seminar on Consumer Protection and Empowerment in India
93rd Orientation Training Progamme for the Presidents and Members of District Consumer Forums
National Seminar on Globalization, Market and Consumer Rights: Issues and Challenges
National Seminar on Consumer Protection and Empowerment in India
Two Day Workshop on Consumer Protection and Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural Development Officials and Service Providers
Release of CCS Publication on National Consumer Day
CONSUMER MELA at Central Park, Connaught Place
FSSAI collecting samples of milk, honey to check quality
Google India, Consumer Affairs Ministry join hands for online consumer protection
FSSAI to soon notify new standards for food supplements
Doctor to Pay Rs. 4.5 Lakh for Amputating Kid's Fingers without Consent
Centre Bans Sharing of Aadhaar Details
Government Mulls Unified Body for Grievances Redressal in Financial Sector
Two Day Workshop on “Consumer Protection and Empowerment
of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural Development Officials and
Service Providers” was organised by the Centre for Consumer
Studies, on October 03-04, 2016 in collaboration with Regional
Training Centre, Ghaziabad of SIRD Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
More than seventy participants attended the programme which
included members of PRIs, service providers, School teachers, and
Member s o f
VCOs/ NGOs.
The objective of
the programme
was to build ca-
pacity of the
people work-
ing at grass root
level about con-
sumer rights and
Consumer Pro-
tection Act. The
aim was to
generate pool of
local experts who
can spread aware-
ness in rural areas and at grass root level. The Programme was
inaugurated by Shri Kunal Silku, Chief Development Officer,
Hapur. He said with industrialization new goods and services were
brought in the market and hence started the era of consumerism.
Today the consumer can purchase any product manufactured any-
where in the world just by click of a mouse. There are various
standards and certifications which ensure quality and safety of
products. But consumers prefer to purchase substandard products
to save some money. Hence they buy fake and spurious products
and put their life in danger. This is more so in rural pockets where
people lack awareness. The whole market works on trust. All this
has become important in the world of competition. Information is
must to protect ourselves in the market. Thus consumer education
is the need of the hour. We all have information but do not know
how to use it. It is through consumer education that person gets the
knowledge to process and use the information. We all consumers
should learn to raise our voice where something goes wrong and
make complaint to appropriate authorities.
Shri Kunal Silku, CDO Hapur inaugurating the
Programme
He advised the participants not to put their lives in danger
for small gain and take proper bill for purchase. Even in
government now there are complaint redressal mechanisms
available. Even online complaint can be made. Consumer
protection is very relevant in today’s globalized era.
Seminar on Consumer Protection and Empowerment in India
A Two Day National Seminar on Consumer Protection and
Empowerment in India was organized by CCS, IIPA in
collaboration with Department of Commerce and
Management Studies, University of Calicut on October 6-7,
2016 at University of Calicut, Kerala. 142 participants
including NGOs, faculties from Colleges, Consumer
activists, students from colleges and the Departments
attended the seminar.
Besides this there
were 7 paper present-
ers shortlisted after
s c r u t i n i z i n g
abstracts, who at-
tended the seminar.
Prof. Suresh Misra,
Chair Professor and
Coordinator CCS/
IIPA, New Delhi
delivered the Keynote
Address. He said that
in the rapidly changing business environment and emerging
global markets, expectations of the people of the country for
better services, quality goods, availability of choices and
value for money has been continuously rising. Accordingly,
both public and private sectors are undertaking several
policy initiatives, schemes and incentives to promote
consumers' welfare in the country. But inspite of these
efforts, the exploitation is still rampant in today’s market
scenario. Thus, in such a rapidly changing business
environment there is a dire need to make consumers
empowered so that they can easily save themselves from
the trap of defective goods and deficient services. Prof (Dr)
K. P. Muraleedharan, Director, School of Business Studies,
University of Calicut highlighted that after the enactment of
C. P. Act, the consumer is no longer helpless as now the re-
dressal mechanism is in place for the welfare of the consum-
ers.
Dignitaries during the Inaugural Session
Vol. 9 No. 4 October—December 2016
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Prof (Dr) P. Mohan, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of
Calicut delivered the Inaugural Address. He said that
protection and promotion of consumer's rights and interests is
a vital function of the Government of any economy. It is
basically a social and political necessity and is essential for
all round progress of the country.
The Seminar was divided into number of thematic sessions.
The sessions were followed by Paper presentations invited at
the end of each day of the national seminar with a total of
seven papers.
Dr. K. Mohammed Basheer, Vice Chancellor, University of
Calicut delivered the Valedictory Address. Talking about the
importance of C. P Act, he said that the aspirations of the
people have changed with the changing economy. Due to
competition choices to consumers are numerous, be it
products or services. On the other hand the consumers are
being exploited by the shopkeepers due to ignorance and lack
of practical implementation of the laws and policies. He
further added, the need of the hour is to start a movement and
think ahead for a secure and safe future. He said these types
of seminars are moments to realize that we have certain rights
in place for our welfare but with a conscious that we have to
be demanding to get what we have asked for. Such seminars
are platform for understanding the importance of quality in
service delivery.
93rd
OTP for the Presidents and Members of
District Consumer Forums
The Ninety-Third Orientation Training Programme for
the Presidents and Members of the District Consumer Forums
was organized from November 07-11, 2016. Twenty One
Presidents and Members of the District Forums from Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu attended the
programme. The objective of the programme was to build the
capacity of the Presidents and Members of the District Forums
to enable the redressal mechanism to function effectively.
The programme was inaugurated by Hon’ble Shri Justice
V.B. Gupta, Former Member, NCDRC. He said that the basic
purpose of the Consumer Protection Act is to provide redressal
to consumer grievances in easy and quick manner. It is there to
compensate the consumer for the genuine loss suffered by
him. The compensation has to be reasonable and not for
enrichment of consumers. He said consumer foras are working
in difficult conditions and are having many handicaps. A
committee of the Supreme Court has been appointed espe-
cially to look into these issues. Inspite of this they are required
to be patient and consumer friendly as they are first point of
contact for the consumer. The credibility of the whole system
depends on the kind of response the complainants get at the
District Forum.
The judge should be gentle and give patient hearing to the liti-
gants. They should act on the Principles of Natural Justice. The
orders of the forum should be supported by strong reasons. An
endeavour should be made to give quick, time bound redressal
to consumers following summary procedures. The programme
was divided into a number of thematic sessions wherein inputs
on a number of subjects having bearing on the working of the
District Forums were discussed. During the Programme, the
participants visited the National Commission and observed the
proceedings of the Commission. They also met Mrs. Rekha
Gupta and Mrs. M. Shreesha, Members, NCDRC. During the
valedictory session Dr. S.M. Kantikar, Member NCDRC inter-
acted with the participants.
National Seminar on Globalization, Market and Consumer Rights: Issues and Challenges
A National Seminar on "Globalization, Market and
Consumer Rights: Issues and Challenges was organized by CCS,
IIPA, New Delhi in collaboration with Department of Political
Science, DSB Campus ,Kumaun University on 11-12 November,
2016 at Nanital, Uttrakhand. 153 participants included, teachers,
researchers, students and Consumer activists from various uni-
versities and colleges. The objective of the Seminar was to dis-
cuss and debate the consumer rights in the context of globaliza-
tion and expanding markets. The Seminar also provided a plat-
form to various researchers/students to present their papers and
highlight various aspects of consumerism. Professor Suresh
Misra, Chair Professor and Coordinator, CCS, IIPA, New Delhi,
put forth his thoughts on the theme of Seminar. He gave a brief
introduction of consumer welfare and the idea behind setting up
of Centre for Consumer Studies, at IIPA. He said the Centre
aims to spread awareness about consumer rights and to promote
consumer education. He highlighted that globalization has
changed our lifestyle by bringing about a change in our eating
habits, dress patterns etc. The Key Note Address on the theme of
the Seminar was delivered by Prof R.C. Mishra, Registrar, Uttra-
khand Open University, Haldwani. He said that globalization has
transformed our lives. Two other kinds of cultures have come to
the forefront in the era of globalization, these are (i) Corporate
Culture and (ii) Culture of Consumption. Three major issues
connected with consumers are: (i) Standard form of Contract,
for e.g., the details in fine print in insurance and bank contracts,
(ii) Unfair practices in trade, (iii) E-Commerce. The options to
consumers are limited as consumer issues cannot be resolved
within the existing legal framework. The Chief Guest of the
Seminar Shri Hem Pande (IAS), Secretary, Consumer Affairs,
GoI delivered the Inaugural Address.
Shri Hem Pade, Secretary, DCA addressing the gathering
Hon’ble Justice V.B. Gupta inaugurating the programme
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Vol. 9 No. 4 October—December 2016
National Seminar on Consumer Protection and
Empowerment in India
service providers, school teachers, and members of
VCOs/ NGOs. The objective of the programme was
to build capacity of the people working at grass root
level about consumer rights and Consumer Protection
Act. The aim was to generate pool of local experts
who can spread awareness in rural areas and at grass
root level. The Programme was inaugurated by Prof
Suresh Misra, Chair Professor & Coordinator, CCS.
He emphasized on the need for education and
awareness of the consumers regarding their rights
and responsibilities as it will enable them to fight for
their rights. The globalization has taken consumerism
to the rural markets. The MNCs are capturing the
rural markets and the products which were available
in the cities earlier are now being sold in rural
markets. This has left the consumers in rural areas
more vulnerable. They are encountering problems of
sub-standard and counterfeit products, misleading
ads, false promises etc. For this the consumers need
to raise their voice. They need to know the three tier
redressal mechanism available under the Consumer
Protection Act. Government is also adopting
multi-pronged approach and policy framework
keeping in view the diversity in India. Further some
of the changes are being introduced in the
adjudicatory process by the new Bill. New provisions
are being introduced to take care of the problems of
consumers. The government is also promoting out of
court settlement and mediation of consumers’
disputes for easy resolution of consumer disputes.
The programme was divided into a number of the-
matic sessions wherein inputs on a number of sub-
jects which are of relevance for common consumers
was provided.
The Centre in collaboration with Department of Commerce, St
Teresa’s College (Autonomous) ,Ernakulam organized a two day
National Seminar on Consumer Protection and Empowerment in India
on 17th-18th November 2016 at Ernakulum. More than 113 participants
which included academicians, students from various colleges and
universities of Kerala participated and benefited from the seminar. The
Welcome Address was delivered by Smt. Mary Sruthy Melbin, HOD of
Department of Commerce. The Presidential Address was given by Dr.
Vinitha, the Director of the College. She urged the participants to be
aware of the consumer rights and to exercise their rights while purchas-
ing the goods and services. She said consumer’s choice is identified by
the market behaviour of the products available. The Inaugural Address
was delivered by Mr. Cherian K. Kuriakose, President, District
Consumer Forum, Ernakulum. He stressed that consumer’s movement is
a people’s movement for removing dissatisfaction amongst consumer’s
and removal of exploitation at the hands of traders and manufacturer.
Such type of programmes are a stepping stone towards achieving
awareness at all ends. The Keynote Address was delivered by Prof.
Suresh Misra, Chair Professor and Coordinator, Centre for Consumer
Studies, IIPA, New Delhi. He reminded the audience about the impact
of globalization on consumer protection. The Seminar was divided into
ten technical sessions spread over two days.
Dignitaries during the Inaugural Session
He started his address with a question –“Why is there a need to protect
the consumer when we say consumer is the king? Are we at someone's
mercy? “He stressed social media is a strong medium and only truth
should be posted and circulated there. He talked about new Consumer
Protection Bill which has provisions of fine and ban on celebrities car-
rying out misleading promotions through advertisements. He discussed
the sad state of affairs under the existing consumer grievances redressal
framework where the major problem is lengthy legal procedure that
leads to delayed justice. The seminar was divided into four technical
sessions and one Brain Storming Session. In Technical sessions, papers
on Globalization, Market and Consumer Rights: Issues and Challenges
were presented during the two days of the Seminar.
Dignitaries lighting the lamp
Two Day Workshop on Consumer Protection and Empowerment of
Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural Development Officials and
Service Providers
A Two Day Workshop on “Consumer Protection and Empowerment of
Panchayati Raj Institutions, Rural Development Officials and Service
Providers” was organised by the CCS, IIPA, New Delhi on December
15-16, 2016 in collaboration with Regional Training Centre,
Bulandshahr of SIRD, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. GoI. More than ninety
participants attended the programme which included members of PRIs,
Release of CCS Publications on National Con-
sumer Day
Department of Consumer Affairs celebrated National
Consumer Day on December 24, 2016 at Vigyan
Bhawan. On the occasion four Monographs published
Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Ram Vilas Paswan releasing publications
of CCS during the National Consumer Day
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Vol. 9 No. 4 October—December 2016
Food regulator, FSSAI is collecting samples of milk and honey sold
in the market to check quality of these two food items after it
received consumer complaints. The Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI)
has set up an expert panel to
review the existing standards
to simplify and streamline the
quality norms. Surveillance
is a big area. FSSAI has taken
up surveillance in few
commodities. The surveil-
lance on honey and milk is
going on. It would be done in
more products in future.
FSSAI has accelerated the
pace of standard settings in
the country. The regulator has
recently set standards for for-
tification of six food items as well as for nutraceuticals and health
supplements. The panel comprising various stakeholders to review
the present standards will submit its suggestions and the same will
be considered by the scientific committee.
FSSAI collecting samples of milk, honey to check quality
Google India, Consumer Affairs Ministry join hands for online
Consumer Protection
Aiming to raise awareness about online safety, Google India in
collaboration with Ministry of Consumer Affairs has announced a
nationwide 'Digitally Safe Consumer campaign, as part of a larger
effort to help better protect consumers’ interest online. As part of
this collaboration, Google along with the Department of
Consumer Affairs will undertake a year long campaign
focused on building capacities of consumer organisations,
personnel of Consumer Affairs Department and counsellors
of National Consumer Helpline on Internet safety and
related issues. "With the rapid increase in digitisation
across all spheres, the message of internet safety needs to
be integrated into the everyday tasks that the consumer
undertakes online," said Country Head, Public Policy,
Google India. In order to provide training and informa-
tion on online
safety tools,
Google will the
help partner
agencies to work
towards advocat-
ing digital secu-
rity and privacy
needs through
'Digital Literacy,
Safety & Secu-
rity' workshops
through a 'Train the Trainer' model for approximately 500
people including 250 consumer organisations across the
country. "These trainers will further engage with the local
community to spread awareness around the need for Inter-
net safety. The campaign expected to roll out in January,
2017 will reach out with training materials to over 1,200
consumer organisations as well as Consumer Affairs
Department of every state and Union Territories.
FSSAI to soon notify new standards for
food supplements
Food regulator FSSAI will soon notify a new standard for
food supplements as part of its efforts to ensure safe and
nutritious food to the people. Last year, the Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had come out
with draft quality and safety norms to regulate food or
health supplements, nutraceuticals, functional and dietary
foods. "The new standards of food supplements are in the
final stage of noti-
fication and will
be shortly noti-
fied" said FSSAI
CEO at a confer-
ence of the Indian
Direct Selling
A s s o c i a t i o n
(IDSA). Stating
that about 60 per
cent of the direct
selling industry players deal in food products, he asked the
members to create awareness about the food safety. "It is
FSSAI's responsibility to ensure that safe and nutritious
food is supplied to 130 crore people of the country and we
do require support and cooperation of each member of this
Industry," he said. FSSAI has been having discussions
with IDSA to effectively use the reach of 40 lakh distribu-
tors of IDSA member companies towards spreading food
awareness, which is an elementary requirement. The
Direct Selling Industry has huge potential to reach Rs
15,000 crore by 201920.
Consumer Mela at Central Park, Connaught Place
Department of Consumer Affairs organized a full day Consumer
Mela on 20th October 2016 at Central Park, Connaught Place, New
Delhi with an objective of bringing Consumers, Companies,
Regulators and the Department of Consumer Affairs on one platform
for Consumer Awareness and grievance redressal. Centre and
National Consumer Helpline actively participated in the Mela.
Centre distributed awareness material in the form of phamplets,
brochures, books etc. Hundreds of people visited CCS stall and
registered their complaint with NCH. To generate awareness about
Consumer rights NCH Team also performed Nukkad Nataks.
by CCS were released by Ho’ble Union Minister Shri Ram Vilas
Paswan. These were Sustainable Consumption and Life Style: Role
of Consumer; Electricity and Consumer; Legal Metrology and
Consumer and Non-Banking Finance Companies : Regulations and
Consumers.
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Vol. 9 No. 4 October—December 2016
The top Consumer Commission has directed a doctor, who runs a private
hospital in Rajasthan, to pay Rs. 4.5 lakh to a minor boy for amputating
his two fingers without seeking consent from his parents.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) also
took note that the doctor, a West Bengal native, had been convicted by a
trial court in a criminal case registered in this regard.
According to the complaint, in 2004, the fingers of Sampath Kumar, son
of an Udaipur-resident Narayan
Lal, came under the blades of a
domestic flour mill after which he
was taken to a hospital run by
Sarkar. The doctor assured the
parents that Sampath would be
fine but allegedly amputated two
of his fingers without seeking con-
sent from his parents. A criminal
complaint was also registered in
this regard under relevant sections
of IPC. The doctor denied that he amputated the patients fingers. He also
said that on seeing the condition of the child, he refused to treat him but
on the insistence of his father, he gave first aid and bandaged his finger.
The district forum ordered the doctor to pay the amount along
with Rs. 5,000 as litigation cost to Sampath after dismissing the doctor's
contention that his fingers were detached from his hand when he was
brought to the hospital.
Doctor to Pay Rs. 4.5 Lakh for Amputating Kid's
Fingers without Consent
Centre Bans Sharing of Aadhaar Details
Agencies in possession of Aadhaar number of an individual will not be
allowed to publish or post the information publicly and will have to
ensure security and confidentiality of the 12-digit identification number
under the Aadhaar Act. The move comes as part of the UIDAI’s efforts to
ensure the information is not misused. Under the recently notified
regulations, these agencies have also been mandated to inform Aadhaar
holders the purpose for which their
details will be used. As per the
rules, the biometric information
cannot be shared with anyone for
any reason whatsoever. Any
violation of the Aadhaar Act will
constitute an offence and is
punishable under the Act,
according to Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO
Ajay Bhushan Pandey. Penalty has been prescribed for offences such as
impersonation of the Aadhaar holder at the time of enrolment, tampering
with data and disclosing identity information. Based on the offence, the
penalty could go up to three years imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs.1
lakh or both.
Government Mulls Unified Body for
Grievances Redressal in Financial Sector
In order to strengthen the consumer protection mechanism, the
government has initiated an exercise to set up a unified body to address
grievances of customers in the financial sector. Currently, there are
separate grievance redressal mechanism for insurance, banking services,
pension and securities market. Financial Redressal Agency (FRA) design
offers a simplified resolution process, allowing retail consumers in distant
and remote locations to pursue effective remedies against financial
service providers (FSPs), without imposing
significant costs on them, Finance Ministry said in a
statement. It will try to resolve all complaints
through mediation and discourage court-like
processes, it said, adding that cases where the
parties are unable to reach a settlement would be
resolved through a light-touch adjudication process.
In a move to check arm-twisting practices and bring
in more transparency in broadcasting business,
regulator TRAI proposed uniform interconnection
guidelines for transmission of TV channels across
all available platforms like cable, DTH and IPTV.
"The Authority is of the view that the common
regulatory framework for interconnection of all
types of addressable systems will ensure a level-
playing field among different service
providers," TRAI said in a note explaining draft
norms on inter-connection issued . At present, two
separate regulatory frameworks are applicable for
inter-connection of HITS (head-end in the sky op-
erator), IPTV and DTH, and cable TV services.
HITS is a satellite multiplex service that provides
cable channels. In the broadcast sector, there are a
number of intermediaries between a broadcaster and
the end consumer. The
broadcast takes the route of
distribution network and
reaches viewers either
through DTH, cable operator
or an IPTV. As per the Draft
Telecommunication
(Broadcasting and Cable
Services) Interconnection
(Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2016, a
common interconnection rule when implemented
would foster competition, promote orderly growth
and result in better quality of services at affordable
prices to subscribers. The TRAI in the draft has
proposed capping of carriage fee charged by
distribution networks like DTH players, cable
operators for transmitting TV channels at 20 paise
per channel per user. Besides, "no carriage fee is to
be paid by a broadcaster if the subscription of the
channel is more than or equal to 20 per cent of the
subscriber base". The regulator has proposed
prohibition of any exclusive agreement between the
broadcaster and the distributor of a channel that can
prevent any other distributor from obtaining TV
channels of such a broadcaster for distribution.
Similarly, it has proposed to prohibit such exclusive
agreements between a distributor of TV channels
with a broadcaster that prevents any other
broadcasters from obtaining access to the
network of such a distributor. The regulator has
proposed must-carry provision for all addressable
systems on first-come first-serve basis.
Transparency and non-discrimination at various
levels of broadcast distribution chain will lead to
healthy competition in the sector.
TRAI Proposes Uniform Broadcast
Interconnect Norms