consumer dialogue · workshop was inaugurated by the ms mugdha sinha (ias), secretary, food and...

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 : 011-23468349, 23468347, Email : [email protected],

Website : www.consumereducation.in

A Quarterly e-Newsletter

Consumer Dialogue

Vol. 11 No. 3 July - September, 2018

Centre for Consumer Studies, IIPA Sponsored by

Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India

Centre for Consumer Studies @CCS_IIPA

Two Day National Workshop on Pragmatic Approach to Consumer Protection & Awareness

102nd Orientation Training Programme for President and Members of District Forum.

The Centre for Consumer Studies, IIPA organized a Two Days National Workshop on “A Pragmatic Approach to Consumer Awareness and Protection in the Present Scenario‖ in collaboration with the Citizen Consumer Club of Prince Shri Venkateswara Arts And Science College, Chennai on 3-4 August 2018, at Gowrivakkam, Chennai. The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, sponsored the Workshop. The main objective of the workshop was to sensitize the participants about the developments taking place in the area of consumer welfare and the impact of

globalization on the life of consumers, to help the consumers understand their rights and duties. It provide a platform to academicians, policy makers, NGO and other stakeholders to deliberate on various issues related to globalization, market and the consumer. Dr.M. Uma, Principal of the college gave the Welcome Address. Smt. S. Madhumathi, IAS., Commissioner, Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Government of Tamilnadu delivered the Inaugural Address. Prof. Suresh Misra, Chair Professor and Coordinator CCS, IIPA delivered the Key Note Address. He emphasised due to lack of activism in this area we are confronted with numerous problems such as deficiency in services, adulterated and spurious products which are further leading to health hazards. Participants including teachers, NGOs and students from various colleges of Tamil Nadu attended the Workshop. The Presidential Address was deliv-ered by Dr K. Vasudevan, Chairman, Prince Group of Institu-tions. The Workshop was divided into various sessions cover-ing Consumer Protection & Empowerment-An Overview, Consumer Protection: Education and Awareness, Energy

Conservation & Sustainable Consumption, Media and Consumers, Insurance and Consumer, Telecom and . Consumer and a Panel Discussion on Problem of Consumers in Tamil Nadu Two separate sessions for paper presentations were held in which faculty members and research scholars presented papers on various themes of topical importance in the field of consumer protection. The Valedictory Address was delivered by Thiru V.P Jeyaseelam (IAS), Dep-uty Secretary, Housing and Urban Development De-partment of Tamilnadu. The workshop was exten-sively covered by print media and electronic media.

The 102nd Orientation Training Programme for the Presidents and Members of the District Consumer Forums was organized by the Centre for Consumer Studies, IIPA from August 6-10, 2018. The programme was sponsored by the Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI. 34 Presidents and Members of the District Forums from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh 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 function effectively. Professor S.S. Singh, Former Vice Chancellor, NLIU, Bhopal inaugurated the programme. He advised the

participants to follow Principles of Natural Justice and summary procedure to give speedy justice to consumers. He said that District Forums are creation of an Act; so only the procedures which have been

Dignitaries on the Dias during Inaugural Session of the Workshop

Prof. S.S. Singh, Former Vice Chancellor, NLIU, Bhopal addressing the participant and Hon’ble Justice R.K. Agrawal, President, NCDRC interacting with participants

Two Day National Workshop on Pragmatic Approaches to Consumer Protec-tion & Awareness

102nd OTP for President and Members of District Forum

Workshop on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare

Two Day Seminar on Consumer Protection and Food Safety

Seminar on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce & Digital Era

Two Day Capacity Building Workshop on Consumer Protection and Welfare

Two Day Training cum Seminar for State Helpline operators and staff of Directorate

23rd ToT for Faculty Members of ATI’s / SIRD’s / University/ Research Institutions in Consumer Protection and Welfare

Foreign Delegation Visit

Participation in Paryatan Mela Passengers Want Reduction in Airline Cancellation Charges

Is it necessary to produce two original keys to an insurance company to get compensation if a vehicle is stolen?

FSSAI to launch movement for healthier

FMCG food products

Unitech Guilty of over 10-Yr Delay in Giving Possession of Flat, NCDRC Orders to Pay Rs 58.41 Lakh to Customer

NCDRC asks Indigo Airline to Pay Rs 20K to Passengers for Leaving them Behind

Transport Ministry Asked Police & State to Accept Driving Licence, RC in ‘Electronic Form’

Vol. 11 No. 2 April-June, 2018

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Workshop on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare

Two Day Seminar on Consumer Protection and Food Safety

specified in Act are applicable to the District Forums. They should aim at quick disposal of complaints and not apply Civil Procedure Code, Evidence Act & CrPC. Apart from this, frequent adjournments should not been given. He appealed to the participants to be more consumer friendly in their approach. 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 interacted with Hon‘ble Justice R. K, Agrawal President, NCDRC.

The Centre for Consumer Studies, IIPA in collaboration with HCM Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration and IIPA Rajasthan Regional Branch, organized two day Work-shop on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare on 30-31 August, 2018 at Jaipur. The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, sponsored the Workshop. The Workshop was inaugurated by the Ms Mugdha Sinha (IAS), Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Rajasthan. Addressing the participants, she emphasized on the need to strengthen the consumer movement in the State by following the mantra of Sanskar and Sarkar. The main objectives of the Workshop were to enhance the knowledge and skill of the participants in the area of Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare; understand the need and importance of Consumer Protection and Welfare and the role of various stakeholders; and discuss the legal dimensions of Consumer Protection in different service sectors. More than 50 participants from various parts of Jaipur attended the workshop. The

Workshop was divided into various sessions covering Consumer Protection – An Overview, Consumer Protection: Education and Awareness, Working of Consumer Redressal Agencies in Rajasthan (Panel Discussion), Media and the Consumer, Food Safety and Consumer, Insurance and Consumer, Legal Metrology and Consumers and e-Commerce and Cyber Security. The Valedictory Address on the concluding day was delivered by Justice V S Dave, Former Judge, Rajasthan High Court and Former Chairman State Commission. Prof. Suresh Misra and Dr. Mamta Pathania coordinated the workshop.

The Centre for Consumer Studies (CCS), in collaboration with Department of Family & Community Resource Management, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara organized a Two-Day National Seminar on ―Consumer Protection & Food Safety‖ on September 7-8, 2018. The Seminar was attended by more than 100 participants which included teachers, students, researchers, and members of VCOs. The p Seminar was organized with an aim to bring Consumers, Producers, Government, NGOs and Educa-tional Institutions on a common platform to discuss various issues and challenges regarding food safety and to evolve integrated strategy to provide food safety to consumers and protect their rights.

Prof Suresh Misra, Coordinator & Chair Professor, CCS, IIPA in his Keynote Address said that

market is dicey and we as consumers are not sure about the quality of food products when we buy; especially in rural areas where purchasing power is less. The rural people purchase in small amount, unpacked food where the chances of food adulteration are more. We all like to eat street food but we are not sure what we are eating. In a study conducted by FSSAI it has been found that percentage of milk adulteration is very high even in states like Gujarat where milk federations are there. The Supreme Court has proposed that there should be death penalty for milk adulteration as milk is the staple diet for the children especially infants. Prof. J.S Sandhu, Ex. Deputy Director, CISR CFTRI, Mysore & Director Technical, FICCI Research Analysis Centre, New Delhi in his Inaugural Address said that the laws are there but the question comes regarding will-power to implement the law or putting life to law. There are always two sides – one good and one bad. The use of fertilizers no doubt brought green revolution but at the same time introduced pesticides into the food chain. Research can-not be done in isolation. It has to be done in entirety. All the impacts of a research need to be looked into. We have to move from food safety to modernization. Scientific Committees are also being set up by FSSAI to formulate science based standards for holistic approach. Media is also required to do responsible job. They have to pass on correct information which is useful and true to the consumer. Awareness is required to be generated. We have progressed a lot and we have to move forward from here.

Dignitaries during the Inaugural Session

Ms Mugdha Sinha (IAS), Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Government of Rajasthan addressing the participants

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Seminar on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce & Digital Era

Two Day Capacity Building Workshop on Consumer Protection and Welfare

The Centre for Consumer Studies, in collaboration with Department of Law & Department of Commerce, Central University of Haryana organized Two-Day National Seminar on ―Consumer Protection in E-Commerce and Digital Era : Issues and Challenges‖ on September 17-18, 2018. The Seminar was attended by around 90 participants which included teachers, students, researchers, and Members of VCOs. The objective of the Seminar was to provide a platform for discussions and deliberations on con-sumer protection issues emerging in the digital era and e-commerce and steps to be taken to give adequate justice to the consumers. The Seminar was divided into a number of technical sessions involving deliberation by exerts and paper presentations by faculty and research scholars.

Inaugurating the Seminar, Professor R.C. Kuhad, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Haryana said that the low quality of products which consumers get while purchasing through e-commerce is a concern. It is important to take care of safety, security and above all satisfaction of consumers only when the risks are minimized and quality is ensured the consumers will develop faith in e-portals. It is very important to educate our near ones – own family, friends, neighbours about the flip side of online markets. Then consumer should also be determined and take pain to file complaints in case he is cheated. We have to raise our voice against injustice. We also need to strengthen the consumer forums by giving powers, proper environment and infrastructure.

Prof Suresh Misra, Coordinator & Chair Professor, CCS, IIPA in his Keynote Address said e-commerce and digitalization no doubt have made life easier; everything can be done online anytime and anywhere. But it has also exposed consumers to many risks. Consumers can lose their hard earned money through fraud. There is thus need for stricter regulation in this area. First and most fundamental question is; what is the definition of e-commerce ? We have CP Bill, 2018 which has many provisions to regulate e-commerce and also gives power to make rules and regulations on e-commerce. Ministry has also framed draft regulations to protect consumers in online marketplace. We get six lakh complaints at NCH annually and 22 percent of it is relates to e-commerce. And most of these e-commerce

Prof. R.C. Kuhad, V.C, CUH releasing Seminar Souvenir During Inaugural Session

Two Day Workshop on ―Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare‖ was organised by Mahatama Gandhi Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Madhaya Pradesh at Jabalpur during 17-18, 2018 in collaboration with Centre for Consumer Studies, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. The programme was sponsored by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India. 40 participants attended the pro-gramme which included members of PRIs, service providers, teachers, members of self-help groups 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 a pool of local experts who can spread awareness in the

rural areas and educate the rural consumers. A number of rural problems were also discussed in the Workshop. Shri S. K. Virmani, Project Manager (SCHKRMP) also took a session on ―Telecom and Consumers‖. He discussed issues about frequent occurring problems in Telecom Services and the Service Benchmarks as laid down by Telecom Regulatory Authority on India. The participants were also acquainted with the grievance handling mechanism in telecom companies as per TRAI regulations.

Shri S. K. Virmani, Project Manager (SCHKRMP) addressing the participants

Two Day Workshop on ―Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare‖ was organised for the officials of State Govt., Chhattisgarh and the advisors of the State Consumer Helpline on September 28-29, 2018 at the request of the State Government. The workshop was organised by State Consumer Helpline Knowledge

Two Day Training cum Seminar for State Helpline operators and staff of Directorate

Complaints are by educated people. There are fly with operators who cheat and disappear. Then there are complaints on fake spurious products about which the online portals are not ready to take responsibility. How to be safe in online market is the question. Schol-ars from various states and institutions participated in the seminar and presented the papers.

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Portal Resource Managment, IIPA. The participants included official from Consumer Affairs, BIS, Food and Drugs, State Bank of India and the Electricity Department besides advisors of consumer helpline. The objective of the pro-gramme was to set up a helpline at Chhattisgarh and build

capacity of the advisors about working of a consumer helpline. During the training programme, the advisors were briefed about frequent problems being faced by the consumers prior to and after purchase of goods and services, communicating with the consumers calling helplines, advisory system and use of IT and Knowledge Portal for per-purchase and post purchase advisory, complaint redressal, etc. The advisors were told about the need of awareness for empowerment of the consumers. The officials were also advised to initiate dialogues with the local service providers and build up their database.

Shri S. K. Virmani, Project Manager (SCHKRMP) addressing the participants

23rd Training of Trainers for Faculty Members of ATI’s / SIRD’s / University/ Research Institutions in Consumer

Protection and Welfare

23rd Training of Trainers on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare for the Faculty of Training Institutions was organized by the Centre for Consumer Studies from September 24-28, 2018. The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, sponsored the Programme. Twenty-Six Trainers from various ATIs, SIRDs, Training Institutes and Universities attended the programme. The objective of the programme was to enhance the skills of the

participants in the area of Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare, to acquaint them with the latest developments in the area and also to enhance their training skills. The programme was inaugurated by Ms Sangeeta Verma, Principal Advisor, DCA, GoI. In her Inaugural Address, she highlighted the importance of consumer movement in the present era. She said that democracy is incomplete unless the local Governments and the individual consumers are empowered. She said today the consumer is the pillar of empowerment.

Ms. Sangeeta Verma, Principal Advisor, DCA, delivering the Inaugural address

She highlighted that the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is a piece of social welfare legislation which protects the consumers against the unscrupulous manufacturers and service providers. Therefore, there is a need to make more and more people aware about this Act so that they can fight against dishonest or corrupt practices resorted to by the traders or service providers. Creating awareness among the rural masses is very important and relevant today. Thus appealed to the participants that they as a member of the educational institutions should always work with an intention to help the consumer and the society. Special attention should be given to the weaker sections of society like poor, women and socially backward classes. The need of the hour is that consumer awareness and education should be taken to the rural masses as majority of the population still resides in rural India. One way to empower the rural population is by empowering the members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and through them the general masses. In this regard the ATIs and SIRDs and universities can play an important role as they are in touch with these institutions.

Vietnam Delegation visited Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) on September 26 , 2018. Prof. Suresh Misra made a presentation on Centre for Consumer Studies (CCS). The delegates visited National Consumer Helpline (NCH) to understand its working.

Foreign Delegation Visit

Participation in Paryatan Mela

National Consumer Helpline (NCH)/State Consumer Helpline Knowledge Resource Management Portal (SCHKRMP) participated in Paryatan Mela held at India Gate. Large number of visitors showed keen interest in understanding the consumer issues.

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Passengers Want Reduction in Airline Cancellation Charges

According to LocalCircles survey, most consumers in India want the airline cancellation charges to be 20 per cent of air-fare. On the other hand, 57 per cent citizens want excess bag-gage charges to be reduced to Rs 100 per kilo. The survey which got more than 14,000 responses, asked citizens what should the airline ticket cancellation charges per segment be

if the cancellation is done two hours prior to departure. 26 per cent respondents said it should be 30 per cent of the air-fare, while 47 per cent said it should be 20 per cent of the airfare. 23 per cent people said the cancellation should be flat Rs 1500 and only four per cent said it should be the same as what it is now, i.e. Rs 2000-Rs 3000 per segment. Airlines offer very low fares through advance purchase but make the fares non-refundable. So, in case a person needs to can-cel his/her ticket due to an unforeseen circumstance, they end up paying a majority of the ticket price as the cancellation fee. Another poll asked citizens what a reasonable charge for excess baggage on domestic flights was.18 per cent said it should be Rs 150 per kg, 57 per cent said Rs 100 per kg was good and 10 per cent said they were fine with Rs 220-Rs 350 per kg, which is the current rate. However, 15 per cent re-spondents were not sure about it. Many consumers have complained that the excess baggage fee charged at the airline counters is way too much for their liking and must be reduced and capped at a certain amount.

Is it necessary to produce two original keys to an insurance company to get compensation if a vehicle is stolen?

The Insurance Regulator ( IRDA), doesn‘t specify this and leaves it to individual companies, most of them follow this as a norm citing cases of fraudulent claims. Like many, it was a surprise for Mr. Suresh Kumar of Delhi when he called up a government-owned insurance company seeking compensa-tion for his Honda City car that was stolen from outside his house in February. ―I never saw this condition of handing out two original keys in the insurance document I had signed. The agent told me the company can reject my claim, if I failed to do so. Fortunately, I had both of them,‖ he recalled. Even Transport Ministry officials said there could be cases where people may have lost one of their keys and would have got duplicate ones. ―Such conditions should also be weighed while considering each case,‖ said an official. Some

of the other conditions Suresh had to fulfil included getting an authority letter confirming he was the owner of the stolen vehicle despite having a valid RC. Even after all this and a five-month long ordeal, Suresh has yet to be compensated. He has been sub-

mitting and resubmitting a series of documents to both the insurance company and the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to get the claim. ―While insurance com-pany representatives assured me of closing the case soon after I escalated my complaint to the highest level, the local police says they will soon submit the ‗not-traceable‘ certificate so that I get the compensa-tion. They are never keen to investigate the case sim-ply because I have the insurance,‖ the victim said. An IRDA office bearer said some of the companies may have formed their own norms to reduce their risk. ―They must inform the vehicle owners about the con-ditions so that they don‘t get stumped when the com-panies ask for the necessary documents. Consumer awareness is really inadequate,‖ he added. Even a top executive of the General Insurance Corporation (GIC) admitted that insurance firms have failed to spread awareness about such conditions.

FSSAI to launch movement for healthier FMCG food products

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched an ―Eat Right Movement‖ with a view to get industry on board for implementation of the raft food labelling regulation. The movement launched

with participation from leading FMCG companies where they are likely to make ―voluntary commit-ments‖ to reduce salt and sugar in food and eliminate trans-fats in a phased manner. The draft Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Regulations 2018 made labelling of salt mandatory, introduced a special red labelling for high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS), introduced in front of pack labelling

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among others. FSSAI said there is a need to manage ―both the supply and demand side. So it is a effort to create a movement where consumers demand healthier food. For now businesses will make broad commitments and see how they can deliver. Their commitments will depend on the products. They will self-monitor compliance with commitment.‖ The concept of voluntary commitment however is not there in the draft labelling regulations. According to FSSAI, food industry is not willing to accept a separate labelling for HFSS foods citing that there is no demand for low sugar-salt foods. About 15 packaged food companies, 10-15 retail companies, 10 quick service restaurants, 8 to 10 edible oil companies will make voluntary commitments and be part of FSSAI‘s movement launch. As per FSSAI, the eat right movement whose catch line is ―aj se thoda kam‖ (Reduce sugar and salt. Start from today) led by actor Rajkummar Rao has seven broad areas of action—to increase demand for healthier food, set standards in schools, restriction on marketing to children through a suitable regulation, higher taxation for unhealthy food through differential GST rates, appropriate menu labelling, redesign choices available at points of sale, food processing industry to formulate their food products by reducing unhealthy ingredients.

Unitech Guilty of over 10-Yr Delay in Giving Possession of Flat, NCDRC Orders to Pay Rs 58.41 Lakh to Customer

Holding Unitech Ltd. guilty of deficiency in service for over 10-year delay in handing over the possession of the flat, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has directed it to refund the amount of Rs 58.41 lakh along with interest and pay litigation cost of Rs 10,000 to the complainant, who is now residing in USA. Presiding Member Deepa Sharma held that complainant Shakti Kumar Matta ―by way of an un-contradicted testimony has proved that the opposite party has entered into an agreement with the complainants and was supposed to hand over the apartment

to the complainant within 36 months but despite the expiry of the said period, the possession of the apartment was not handed over to the complainants. They have also stated that they have paid a total sum of Rs.58,41,623 to the opposite party towards the cost of the apartment on various dates‖. In this case, Matta had booked a flat in the project namely ‗Unitech Habitat‖ in Greater Noida. As per the agreement made in year 2006, the complainant started paying the amounts as per the payment plan and demands raised by Unitech from time to time. An allotment letter was also is-sued and the complainants paid Rs.58,41,623. Unitech had promised to hand over the possession in 36 months i.e., by November 7, 2009.

The total sale consideration of the flat was Rs. 61,26,771 whereas the said amount was increased to Rs. 65,11,323. Out of the said amount, the complain-ants had paid Rs.52,72,349 plus interest and in all, a sum of Rs.58,41,623 stands paid as on 1st March 2009 and the balance was to be paid at the time of handing over the possession of the said apartment. Despite the passage of 120 months, the flat‘s possession was not handed over to the complainants, forcing them to serve a legal notice to Unitech in September 2015, but in vain. They then moved NCDRC seeking a refund of the amount paid along with interest of 18 percent.

NCDRC asks Indigo Airline to Pay Rs 20K to Passengers for Leaving them Behind

The basic duty of an airline towards a passenger who

it has left behind is to provide meals and

accommodation for overnight stay, the apex consumer

commission has said while asking Indigo Airlines to

pay compensation to a family of four who failed to

board the flight due to deficiency in service. The

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission

(NCDRC), hearing a review plea of the Airlines

against the Tripura State Commission's order, asked

Indigo to pay Rs 20,000 to Kalpana Rani Debbarma

and her family. Kalpana, her husband and her two mi-

nor sons were travelling from Kolkata to Agartala

availing Indigo flight services in 2017. The Airlines

had issued boarding passes to all of them. Kalpana has

claimed in her plea that the Airlines left all her family

at the Kolkata Airport without informing them despite

their being in the Airport premises. She also claimed

that the airport staff snatched away the tickets from

her when she went to the office staff to file a written

complaint. The family had to stay in a hotel and

purchase new tickets the next day.

Transport Ministry asked Police & State to Accept Driving Licence, RC in ‘Electronic Form’

Citing the provisions of Information Technology (IT) Act, the Road Transport Ministry has asked Traffic Police and State Transport Departments to accept the driving licence, registration certificate, insurance pa-pers or any other document in ―electronic form‖ pre-sented through DigiLocker or the mParivahan app. ―The electronic records available on DigiLocker or mParivahan are deemed to be legally recognised at par with the original documents as per provisions of the IT Act, 2000,‖ an advisory issued by the Ministry said. It added the documents available in the ―electronic form‖ are valid under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and be treated at par with the certificates issued by the trans-port authorities.

consumer dialogue · workshop was inaugurated by the ms mugdha sinha (ias), secretary, food and...

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